Late Roman/Early Byzantine Bulbous perfume bottle with a tall, tapering spout and two small eyelet hooks. - 122 mm

Late antique perfume vial with a high pour-spout and ring handles, 3rd–8th century CE.

A highly decorative late antique perfume or salve flask made of light blue glass, with a globular, bulging body, attached stand foot, and an unusually tall neck/spout that tapers markedly toward the top.

The nearly spherical body rests on a separately formed, ring-shaped stand. Particularly characteristic is the extraordinarily elongated, conically narrowing neck, whose small opening is reduced to almost the diameter of a fine orifice. At the lower neck juncture, two small attached ring handles face each other. They are formed from dark-looking glass threads and give the vessel a striking silhouette despite their small size.

The original light blue glass color is largely obscured by intense ancient surface weathering. Large areas are covered by a dense beige to silvery-gray film. Between these are iridescent layers appearing in gold, green, blue, and violet tones. This so-called pearl iridescence gives the vessel a particularly appealing surface effect that developed over centuries.

The very narrow, long-spouted outlet would have allowed careful, sparing dosing of precious liquids. Accordingly, use for perfume, aromatic essences, cosmetic oils, or similar substances is likely. The combination of a globular body, tall spout, ring stand, and small ring handles makes the vessel an unusual representative of late antique small glass forms.

Culture: Roman Empire / Late Antiquity
Dating: 3rd–8th century CE
Material: light blue glass
Dimensions: 122 × 49 × 49 mm

Condition:
Intact, with pearl iridescence

Provenance:
Acquired in 2026 in the German art trade, previously since before 2000 in private collection of H. L., Rhineland

The invoice is available and will be provided to the buyer in copy!