Ancient Roman Glass Translucent Blue Flask

A fine ancient Roman flask blown from translucent blue glass. The vessel features a globular body with a concave base, leading to a cylindrical neck with a slightly flaring rim. The piece is pale blue in colour and showcases areas of stunning iridescence, which has developed due to natural ageing processes. There is also some residue within the vessel and encrustation to the surface.

Glass was often the preferred material for storing expensive oils, perfumes, and medicines in antiquity because it was not porous. Glass vessels are found frequently at Hellenistic and Roman sites, especially in cemeteries, and the liquids that filled them would have been gathered from all corners of the expansive Roman Empire. Unguentaria were amongst the most common objects of Roman glass: produced in large numbers, they were items of everyday use for keeping expensive unguents and cosmetic oils.

Measurements: H 6 cm x W 4. 5cm

Provenance: Acquired 1970s-1996. Property of a North American collector. London collection, 2016.