Αρχαίος Ρωμαίος Γυαλί Μπουκάλι με διακοσμητικό γυάλινο κρόσσι - 105 mm

“Ancient Roman Glass Bottle with Trailed Decoration

Culture / Period: Ancient Roman
Date / Period: 1st–3rd century A.D.
Material: Glass
Dimensions: 105 mm
Condition: Good condition

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Provenance information:
Object Registration ID: 3
The current owner purchased this Ancient Roman glass bottle with trailed decoration from a private collector, N.N., Utrecht, the Netherlands.
The previous owner, a private collector, N.N. from Utrecht, stated that the object had been in his collection since an unknown date.
According to the previous owner, the object had previously been in a private collection in the Netherlands since the 1970s.
No further information concerning the earlier ownership history of the object was available from the previous owner.

Background Information:
This vessel is a Roman glass bottle with a globular body, tall cylindrical neck, and a folded and slightly flaring rim, further distinguished by applied trailed glass decoration below the mouth. Bottles of this kind were made to contain and pour valuable liquids such as perfumed oils, cosmetics, medicinal preparations, or small quantities of wine and other household substances. In the Roman world, glass vessels of this size and form belonged to the objects of everyday domestic life, but they could also accompany personal grooming, dining, and funerary practice.

The applied trail around the upper neck is both decorative and practical, giving visual emphasis to the form while also reflecting the skill of the glassworker. Such vessels were typically free-blown, a technique that transformed Roman glass production from the 1st century A.D. onward. Free-blowing allowed workshops to produce elegant and functional containers in greater quantities than had previously been possible, making glassware increasingly accessible across different levels of society.

This bottle belongs to the broader development of Roman glassmaking during the Imperial period, when workshops across the eastern Mediterranean and the western provinces supplied a wide variety of domestic vessels. Its pale greenish glass and weathered iridescence are characteristic of ancient Roman glass, the latter resulting from long burial and chemical interaction with the surrounding soil. The form and trailed decoration fit well within the established tradition of Roman blown glass, in which standard vessel types were produced in organised workshop environments and distributed widely through trade and regional exchange.

Within daily life, vessels such as this helped meet practical needs while also reflecting Roman preferences for refined, visually attractive household goods. Glass had the advantage of being lighter and often more elegant in appearance than ceramic or metal containers of similar size. As Roman manufacturing and commerce expanded, glassware became an increasingly familiar part of life in settlements throughout the Empire. Such vessels were traded across large distances, reaching regions such as present-day Germany and the Netherlands.”} )? (Final text should be clean Greek translation)