Rome, Imperial Period, ca. 2nd to 4th century CE. A beautifully preserved ancient Roman glass vessel demonstrating the Romans' keen glass blowing skills: a translucent pale blue glass vial with a bell-shaped body and very long, tubular neck resolving to an out-folded rim. The surface has aged to have a faint rainbow iridescence. A vessel of this style was used to hold liquids that evaporated easily, with the long, narrow neck meant to preserve them. Size: 2.5" W x 7.25" H (6.4 cm x 18.4 cm)

After the invention of glass blowing in the middle of the 1st century BCE in the Roman province of Syria, the glass industry was forever transformed. An industry sprang up throughout the Roman world for mass producing glass jars, tableware, and larger storage containers, replacing pottery goods. Despite the scale of the production, small jars like this one show significant variations in the shape and color of the glass, which makes each piece almost unique.

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection

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#137044

Intact, with faint iridescence and very light deposits. Vessel possesses a pontil scar or mark which indicates that the vessel was free-blown. (The absence of such a mark would suggest that the work was either mold-blown or that the mark was intentionally smoothed away or wore away over time.)