Cosmetic Jar
5th-7th century
Medium
Glass, core-formed technique
Dimensions
H.: 5.1 cm (2 in.)
Classification
personal grooming / hygiene / cosmetic container
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
67471
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Art Institute of Chicago's collection of Arts of Greece,, and Byzantium, delicate Cosmetic Jar exemplifies the refined craftsmanship of the Byzantine Empire during the 5th to 7th centuries. Standing just 5.1 cm tall, this small glass vessel was designed for personal grooming—likely holding precious ointments, perfumes, or cosmetics that adorned the elite in Constantinople and beyond. The Byzantine world, bridging late antiquity and the medieval era, was a hub of splendor, where such intimate luxury items reflected the empire's wealth, trade networks spanning the Mediterranean, a...
About the Artist
Byzantine
"Byzantine" is the collective attribution given to anonymous artists working within the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, whose creations spanned from the 4th to the 15th centuries, primarily in Constantinople and its cultural sphere. These masters produced a vast body of art that defined an era, with museums like the Walters Art Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago cataloging numerous works un...