Roman Glass Footed Sprinkler Flask w/ Pinched Handles

Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 3rd to 4th century CE. A gorgeous sprinkler flask used for conservatively dispensing scented oils and perfumes, free-blown from translucent glass of a verdant yellow-green hue. The petite vessel has a trio of applied nubbin feet, a concave base with a rough pontil scar, a spherical body lined with pattern-formed vertical ribs, a constricted neck, and a broad, collared rim with a flared lip. Stretching between the midsection and the top of the rim on either side is an applied trail handle bearing four pinched tabs that form a ladder-like presentation. Elegant areas of rainbow-hued iridescence have formed on both the interior and exterior surfaces. Size: 3" W x 3.1" H (7.6 cm x 7.9 cm)

For a stylistically similar example of the ribbed body without the pinched handles, please see "Shining Vessels: Ancient Glass from Greek, Roman and Islamic Times." Fortuna Fine Arts, Ltd., New York, 1991, p. 53, fig. 86.

Provenance: private Florida, USA collection, purchased at the Archaeological Center auction, Tel Aviv, Israel (January 20, 2010, lot 106); ex-Gershon Bineth collection, Israel

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#151611
Condition Report: Minor nicks and abrasions to feet, body, handles, and rim, with light encrustations and weathering film, otherwise intact and very good. Pontil mark on underside of base. A pontil scar or mark indicates that a vessel was free-blown, while the absence of such a mark suggests that the work was either mold-blown or that the mark was intentionally smoothed away or wore away over time. Light earthen deposits and faint rainbow iridescence throughout.