Glass alabastron (perfume bottle)
Unknown Artist
5th century BCE
Medium
Glass
Dimensions
H.: 3 13/16 in. (9.7 cm)
Classification
Glass
Culture & Period
Greek, Eastern Mediterranean · Classical
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Theodore M. Davis Collection, Bequest of Theodore M. Davis, 1915
Accession Number
30.115.35
Art Historical Context
This elegant glass alabastron, slender perfume bottle from the 5th century BCE,ails from the Eastern Mediterranean during Greece's Classical period. Standing at 3 13/16 inches (9.7 cm) tall, it reflects the era's sophisticated trade networks, where glass vessels were prized luxury items imported or crafted for elite use. Produced in the Greek cultural sphere, such bottles were essential for storing aromatic oils, perfumes, and cosmetics—staples of ancient hygiene, beauty rituals, and even funerary offerings. Crafted from delicate glass, the alabastron's form is iconic: a bulbous body tapering...