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Glass alabastron (perfume bottle)

late 6th–5th century BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 157
Translucent cobalt blue, with handles in same color; trails in opaque yellow and opaque turquoise blue.
Broad, uneven horizontal rim-disk, with slightly raised edge around mouth; short cylindrical neck; narrow rounded shoulder; straight-sided cylindrical body, tapering upwards; convex bottom; two vertical ring handles with knobbed tails, applied over trail decoration.
Turquoise blue trail attached at edge of rim-disk; a yellow trail applied on underside of rim-disk and wound down in a spiral to middle of body, then tooled into a close-set zigzag pattern; a turquoise blue trail is added, mingling with yellow; immediately below zigzag, another yellow trail and another turquoise blue trail are wound horizontally once around body.
Complete, except for weathered chip in rim-disk; body broken and repaired across handles with slight cracks and chips; dulling and milky iridescent weathering.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Glass alabastron (perfume bottle)
  • Period: Classical
  • Date: late 6th–5th century BCE
  • Culture: Greek, Eastern Mediterranean
  • Medium: Glass; core-formed, Group I
  • Dimensions: H.: 4 5/16 in. (11 cm)
  • Classification: Glass
  • Credit Line: Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1881
  • Object Number: 81.10.301
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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