Pitcher
5th-6th century
Medium
Glass, mold-blown technique
Dimensions
13.7 × 6.6 × 4.9 cm (5 3/8 × 2 5/8 × 1 7/8 in.)
Classification
pitcher (vessel)
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
132101
Art Historical Context
This elegant glass pitcher, crafted in the Byzantine Empire during the 5th or 6th century, reflects the enduring legacy of Roman glassmaking traditions adapted within a Christian cultural context. Standing just over five inches tall, the vessel was likely used for serving liquids in domestic or ceremonial settings, embodying the blend of practicality and refined aesthetics that characterized Byzantine daily life. The pitcher was created using the mold-blown technique, a method in which molten glass was inflated into a carved mold. This innovative approach allowed artisans to produce consisten...
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...