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Banded agate amphoriskos (perfume bottle)

late 1st century BCE–early 1st century CE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 166
In Hellenistic and Roman times, vessels made in semiprecious stone were much sought after as symbols of wealth and sophistication. They were used as diplomatic gifts or treasured as heirlooms, and many of them found their way into royal tombs or imperial collections, both in antiquity and later. Their rarity also encouraged imitations in both glass and pottery.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Banded agate amphoriskos (perfume bottle)
  • Period: Early Imperial, Augustan or early Julio-Claudian
  • Date: late 1st century BCE–early 1st century CE
  • Culture: Roman
  • Medium: Banded agate
  • Dimensions: H. 2 3/8 in. (6.0 cm)
    diameter 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm)
  • Classification: Miscellaneous-Stone Vases
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Mr. and Mrs. Sid R. Bass Gift, in honor of Annette de la Renta, and Rogers Fund, 2001
  • Object Number: 2001.253
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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