Post medieval glass Onion bottle - 172 mm

"Post-Medieval Glass Onion Bottle

Culture / Period: Post-Medieval
Date / Period: 17th century
Material: Glass
Dimensions: 172 mm
Condition: Good condition, with a visible star crack and minor surface wear consistent with age.

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Provenance information:
Object Registration ID: 122

The current owner purchased the object from a private collector, H. v.d. Werf, in Den Hoorn, the Netherlands.

The previous owner, a private collector, H. v.d. Werf from Den Hoorn, the Netherlands, stated that the object had been in his collection since 1990.

According to the previous owner, the object had previously been part of a private collection in the Netherlands since the 1990s.

No further information concerning the earlier ownership history of the object was available from the previous owner.

Background Information:
This post-medieval glass onion bottle dates to the 17th century and represents one of the most characteristic bottle forms associated with the Dutch Golden Age and early modern European trade. The vessel features a rounded globular “onion-shaped” body with a tall tapering neck and applied folded rim, typical of wine and spirit bottles produced during the later 17th century. The dark olive-green coloration, often referred to as “black glass,” was intentionally created to help protect the contents from light exposure during storage and transport.

Onion bottles were widely used for storing and transporting wine, beer, spirits, oils, and other liquids throughout Europe during the 17th century. Their broad stable base and thick glass walls made them particularly suitable for maritime trade and long-distance transport. Such bottles became increasingly common as international commerce expanded through Dutch, English, and other European trading networks.

The Netherlands played a major role in early modern maritime trade, with Dutch merchant vessels transporting goods throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Glass production also expanded significantly during this period, with workshops manufacturing durable utilitarian bottles in large quantities for commercial and domestic use. Bottles of this type are frequently recovered from shipwrecks, tavern sites, urban refuse pits, and household archaeological contexts dating to the late 17th century.

The manufacturing process involved free-blowing molten glass and shaping the vessel by hand before applying and finishing the rim. Slight asymmetry, variations in wall thickness, and small imperfections are characteristic of authentic hand-blown glass from the period and illustrate the craftsmanship involved in early modern bottle production.

The visible star crack mentioned in the condition report is consistent with age and use and does not detract from the historical significance of the piece. Comparable onion bottles are regarded as important examples of early European glassmaking and the expanding commercial culture of the post-medieval world.

This piece provides a direct and tangible connection to the 17th-century maritime and trading world, where bottles of this kind formed part of everyday commercial and domestic life more than three centuries ago."