Amphoriskos (Container for Oil)
Ancient Mediterranean
2nd-1st century BCE
Medium
Glass, core-formed technique
Dimensions
15.2 × 7 × 7 cm (6 × 2 3/4 × 2 3/4 in.)
Classification
glass
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
67493
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Initially affordable only among the wealthy, glass was used in ancient Rome as containers for oils, perfume, and tablewares. The word “amphoriskos”, Greek for “small amphora”, refers to this object’s shape, a miniature version of the two-handled metal or ceramic vessels that contained oil or wine. Core-formed glass was made by dipping a removable core that gives the vessel its shape into a molten glass mixture.