Ancient Roman Small Glass Unguentarium

Object Description

A small Roman glass bottle featuring a larger pyriform body and a short, narrow neck leading to a folded rim.Unguentaria were small perfume or cosmetics bottles made of blown glass. They are the most common items of Roman blown glass, equally used in everyday life or deposited as grave goods. Metal oxides were added to the glass to vary its colour and create objects such as this one. Depending on the conditions in the furnace copper oxides in particular were responsible for blue, red or green colour.

Object Literature

Hayes, J.W., Roman and Pre-Roman Glass in Royal Ontario Museum, 1975, nos. 111.

Object Condition

Good – intact and complete. Areas of silver iridescence and earthy encrustations.

Object Details