Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 3rd to 4th century CE. An outstanding free-blown glass flask of translucent glass - nearly colorless with a slight blue-green tinge. The vessel presents an elongated sack-like body with gently concave sides, a rounded bottom, and gracefully sloped shoulders, a tall slightly flaring cylindrical neck with a pair of decorative trails adorning the lower end of the neck - the lower one horizontal, the upper one of an attractive sinuous form - that have attained a periwinkle blue tinged pearlescence. Size: 7.25" H (18.4 cm); 7.75" H (19.7 cm) on included custom stand.
Pliny the Elder paid homage to the beauty of the many hues created in hand-blown glass; however, he also sang the praises of colorless, translucent glass, ". . . the most highly valued glass is colorless and transparent, as closely as possible resembling rock-crystal." (Pliny, Natural History XXXVI.198 from "Solid Liquid" catalogue, Fortuna Fine Arts, New York, 1999, p. 64.)
This vessel was published in the Solid Liquid catalogue (New York: Fortuna Fine Arts Ltd., 1999, p. 90, figure 160)
Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection
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#135290
Condition
Small loss and nick to lower horizontal trail on the neck. Otherwise excellent with gorgeous rainbow iridescence throughout and areas of weathering film. Trailed details have attained a blue-tinged pearlescence.