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HOME :
Classical Antiquities :
Classical Masterpieces : Roman Glass Jug
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Roman Glass Jug - X.0359
Origin: Eastern Mediterranean
Circa: 50
AD
to 150
AD
Dimensions:
6.69" (17.0cm) high
x 5.51" (14.0cm) wide
Collection: Classical
Style: Roman
Medium: Glass
Additional Information: Found in En Gedi, Israel
Location: Great Britain
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| Description |
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Wide cylindrical clear light blue glass jug with
rounded shoulders and very short neck, a
constriction below, muff-shaped profiled rim,
horizontally flanged, slightly concave base. The
handle wide and flat with dense ribs, bent at a
right angle.
Although the precise origins of glass are
unknown, we do know that the revolutionary
technique of glassblowing was invented in the
Syrio-Palestine region around 50 B.C., thousands
of years after the discovery of glass. Before,
glass was made through labor-intensive
techniques that limited the vessels to the wealthy
elite. However, glassblowing allowed vessels of
larger sizes to be produced on a much larger
scale and at a markedly faster pace. With the
Roman conquest of the Eastern Mediterranean,
glassblowing was imported into the heart of
Rome along with its Phoenician and Judean
makers.
As the technique disseminated throughout the
empire, glass vessels became much more
affordable, transforming what was once a luxury
item into a domestic staple. Ordinary people
possessed glass objects for the first time. As the
technique became more refined and the artists
bolder and more experimental, a class of highly
intricate vessels that were created by master
craftsmen over long periods of time came into
being. Based on the labor involved, the beauty of
the design, and sometimes the hue of the glass
(red glass, for instance, was achieved by adding
gold dust to the composition, making this color
very expensive and rare) these vessels could only
be afforded by the wealthy elite.
Blown-glass vessels came in a plethora of shapes
and sizes, and in a broad assortment of hues that
changed according to the specific chemicals that
were added. In fact, the glassblower was limited
only by his imagination and the strength of his
arms. Larger vessels were used to store a wide
variety of household items, mainly liquids and
grains. Smaller, more delicate works were used
to hold precious commodities such as perfumes,
unguents, medicines, and spices. The
transparent nature of glass was a great
advantage, since the contents of a vessel could
be easily determined without having to open the
container, possibly spoiling the perishable goods
inside.
This large blue/green glass vessel was found in
En Gedi, Israel. The Eastern Mediterranean
territories remained the center of glass
manufacturing, where the finest examples were
produced, even as the technique spread across
the empire. The beauty and elegance of this
vessel reflects the skills of its maker. The wide,
slightly bulging, cylindrical body is echoed by the
short neck, which is crowned by a flared rim. A
broad handle has been attached at the neck and
shoulder of the vessel. The size of this glass
piece suggests that it was used to store and
serve water or wine. Once, it would have rested
on the dinner table of an Ancient Roman
household somewhere in the Holy Land.
For a comparable example cf. the jug in the
Ermitage Collection in N. Kunina, Ancient Glass in
the Hermitage Collection, 1997 :pl.233, p. 301
- (X.0359)
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