Description
Initially affordable only among the wealthy, glass was used in ancient Rome as containers for oils, perfume, and tablewares. The word “amphoriskos”, Greek for “small amphora”, refers to this object’s shape, a miniature version of the two-handled metal or ceramic vessels that contained oil or wine. Core-formed glass was made by dipping a removable core that gives the vessel its shape into a molten glass mixture.
Provenance
Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson, Chicago, by 1931; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1949.
Accession Number
67493
Medium
Glass, core-formed technique
Dimensions
15.2 × 7 × 7 cm (6 × 2 3/4 × 2 3/4 in.)
Classification
glass
Credit Line
Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson