Ancient Roman Clear Glass Unguentarium Flask

Ca. 100-200 AD. Roman. A black, blue, and orange blown glass unguentarium with a globular body, a short cylindrical neck, and a folded rim. Excellent condition. Unguentaria, like alabastra in ancient Greece, were small jars used to store perfume or toilet oil in the Roman period. While glass-making had been practised for centuries, the Romans invented the glassblowing technique in the 1st century BC, which revolutionized this craft. Roman glassmakers reached incredible artistic heights with both free-blown vessels and mould blown forms and decorations. To find out more about glass objects in the Roman world, Bayley, J. , Freestone, I. , & Jackson, C. (2015) . Glass of the Roman World. Oxford And Philadelphia: Oxbow Books. Size: L: 170mm / W: 85mm ; 51g. Provenance: From the famous collection of Mr. R. Unger, previously with the Parthenon gallery, London; formerly in 1970s UK collection.