Glass mosaic perfume bottle

1st half of 1st century CE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 168
Translucent turquoise blue, translucent purple, and opaque white.
Everted, horizontal rim with rounded outer lip; cylindrical neck, with slight horizontal indent around base; squat globular body; concave bottom.
Marbled mosaic pattern formed from large, irregularly shaped sections of a cane in a turquoise blue ground with purple outlined in white.
Intact, except for one large chip in rim; dulling, pitting, and faint iridescence.
Rotary grinding marks on exterior.

Small bottles and lidded pyxides (boxes) in mosaic and luxury gold-band glass were made during the Julio-Claudian period. But as glass-blowing became more widespread during the mid-1st century, they were quickly supplanted by free-blown versions, often in more transparent glass that allowed one to see the contents.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Glass mosaic perfume bottle
  • Period: Early Imperial
  • Date: 1st half of 1st century CE
  • Culture: Roman
  • Medium: Glass; cast and blown
  • Dimensions: H. 2 5/16 in. (5.9 cm)
  • Classification: Glass
  • Credit Line: Edward C. Moore Collection, Bequest of Edward C. Moore, 1891
  • Object Number: 91.1.1277
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

More Artwork

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.