Glass double head-shaped bottle
Translucent patchy purple.
Uneven rim folded out, round, and in; flaring mouth; cylindrical neck, slanting to one side and with deep tooling indent at base; plastic body; oval base with rounded edges and slightly concave bottom; small round pontil mark on bottom. Mold seams visible on sides of head, extending to base of neck.
Body in the shape of two heads, back to back, one with a smiling face, the other with a serious face; smiling face with fillet across forehead and hair parted down middle and arranged in regular horizontal rows to sides of face; the serious face with wavy hair to sides and prominent topknot; smiling face has arched eyebrows extending to bridge of nose, eyes with indents for pupils, open mouth, thick lips, and rounded chin; serious face is less well defined with raised eyebrows, a broad flat nose, pursed lips, and a receding chin.
Intact; limy encrustation, thick creamy weathering, and brilliant iridescence.
Although the details on two heads are indistinct, the fact that the smiling face wears a fillet or headband and the serious face may have small curved horns on his temples suggests that they may be identified as the wine god Dionysos and a satyr respectively.
Uneven rim folded out, round, and in; flaring mouth; cylindrical neck, slanting to one side and with deep tooling indent at base; plastic body; oval base with rounded edges and slightly concave bottom; small round pontil mark on bottom. Mold seams visible on sides of head, extending to base of neck.
Body in the shape of two heads, back to back, one with a smiling face, the other with a serious face; smiling face with fillet across forehead and hair parted down middle and arranged in regular horizontal rows to sides of face; the serious face with wavy hair to sides and prominent topknot; smiling face has arched eyebrows extending to bridge of nose, eyes with indents for pupils, open mouth, thick lips, and rounded chin; serious face is less well defined with raised eyebrows, a broad flat nose, pursed lips, and a receding chin.
Intact; limy encrustation, thick creamy weathering, and brilliant iridescence.
Although the details on two heads are indistinct, the fact that the smiling face wears a fillet or headband and the serious face may have small curved horns on his temples suggests that they may be identified as the wine god Dionysos and a satyr respectively.
Artwork Details
- Title: Glass double head-shaped bottle
- Period: Mid Imperial
- Date: 2nd century CE
- Culture: Roman, Syrian
- Medium: Glass; mold-blown
- Dimensions: H.: 2 11/16 in. (6.8 cm)
- Classification: Glass
- Credit Line: Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1881
- Object Number: 81.10.235
- Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art
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