In Hellenistic and Roman times vessels made in semiprecious stone were much sought after as symbols of wealth and sophistication. Relatively few examples, however, have come down from antiquity; most of the surviving hard-stone vessels are small containers, such as this exquisite banded-agate amphora. Despite its small size, the vessel is a masterly example of the maker's skill. Not only does it have a pleasing shape and an attractive polished surface that shows off the patterning in the agate, but the carving out of the inside is also evidence of great technical dexterity.

Although gem-cutting workshops existed in Rome during the first century B.C., the techniques used to make such hard-stone bottles may be linked more closely to the production of luxury cast glassware. The establishment of such a glass industry in the imperial capital, probably during the Augustan period (27 B.C.–A.D. 14), may give support to the view that craftsmen making hard-stone vessels also migrated to that city, where the Roman aristocracy undoubtedly provided them with most of their business.