Alabastron (Container for Scented Oil)
6th-4th century BCE
Medium
Glass, core-formed technique
Dimensions
11.4 × 3.2 × 3.2 cm (4 1/2 × 1 1/4 × 1 1/4 in.)
Classification
glass
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
67444
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Initially affordable only among the wealthy, glass was used in ancient Rome to create tableware and containers for oils and perfume. In the ancient Mediterranean world, scented oils, usually olive oil based, were used more frequently than alcohol-based perfumes. This vessel is called an alabastron because objects of this shape were originally made of alabaster. To create it, an oblong, heat-resistant form was dipped into molten glass and then removed, leaving behind the core-formed glass object....