Glass double head-shaped flask
Unknown Artist
early 3rd century CE
Medium
Glass
Dimensions
3 3/16 x 1 3/4in. (8.1 x 4.5cm)
Classification
Glass
Culture & Period
Roman · Mid Imperial, Severan
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874–76
Accession Number
74.51.318
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite glass double head-shaped flask, crafted by an unknown Roman artisan in the early 3 century CE, hails from the Mid Imperial Severan period—a dynamic era under emperors like Septimius Severus marked by cultural flourishing and artistic innovation across empire. Measuring just 3 3/16 x 1 3/4 inches (8.1 x 4.5 cm), its petite scale belies the technical prowess required to form such a delicate, symmetrical vessel featuring paired human heads, likely molded or blown into shape. Roman glassmaking reached new heights during this time, with the perfection of free-blowing techniques allo...