Roman, Sidonian, early Imperial Period, ca. 1st century CE. A petite amphoriskos, used for holding perfumes or oils in a woman's toilette, hand-made from beautiful aubergine-hued glass. The piriform container has a dramatically tapered tip, a pair of applied trail handles, and a flared mouth above the cylindrical neck. Imbuing it with even more beauty, the surface is covered in fiery iridescence of pink, lavender, silver, and ice blue hues. Sidon was a center of art glass production in ancient times, and this piece exemplifies the fine creations of this region. Size: 1.4" W x 3.2" H (3.6 cm x 8.1 cm); 5.8" H (14.7 cm) on included custom stand.
Here are Pliny's words as he described his voyage to Sidon, "From this point on we must go back to the coast and to Phoenicia. There was formerly a town called Crocodilian, and there still is a river of that name … Then comes Cape Carmel … Next are Getta, Geba, and the river Pacida or Belus … Close to this river is Ptolemais … Next Tyre, once an island separated from the mainland by a very deep sea-channel 700 yards wide, but now joined to it by the works constructed by Alexander when besieging the place … but the entire renown of Tyre now consists in a shell-fish and a purple dye! … Next are Zarephath and the city of birds (Ornithon oppidum), and Sidon, the mother-city of Thebes in Boeotia where glass is made." (Pliny, Natural History V.75-76, 77-79 A.D.)
Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession numbers 74.51.49 and 91.1.1356
Provenance: private Rancho Mirage, California, USA collection, acquired in the early 1980s
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#178947
Condition
Professional restoration to one handle using lighter-colored glass. Minor abrasions, with light pitting and earthen deposits, and some weathering film, otherwise in excellent condition. Great iridescence throughout.