Ancient Rome, Imperial Period, ca. 2nd to 4th century CE. A very large free-blown green glass jar, its body of a near spherical form on a concave bottom, with a tubular neck that rises to a dramatically flared mouth with a folded and tooled rim. The original green hues are difficult to ascertain, because the surface is covered with beautiful rainbow and silvery iridescence. Size: 4.5" in diameter x 7.375" H (11.4 cm x 18.7 cm)

Most scholars agree, Roman glass was of the highest quality - both aesthetically and technically - among the ancients. While glass making had been practiced for centuries, the Romans invented glass blowing in the 1st century BCE which revolutionized the artform. We can appreciate such a wide variety of forms and shapes, because the medium of glass has unique physical properties that make for so many more possibilities than metal or clay. Roman glassmakers reached incredible artistic heights with both free-blown vessels and mould blown forms and decorations.

Provenance: ex-private East Coast, USA collection

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#121005

Repaired from multiple pieces. Still an unusually large example with impressive iridescence and deposits across the surface.