Alabastron (Container for Scented Oil)

Art Institute of Chicago

Alabastron (Container for Scented Oil)

Ancient Mediterranean; Alexandria, EgyptLinkedCulture matchlcp-e54c803f7411

Date
6th-4th century BCE
Medium
Glass, core-formed technique
Culture
Mediterranean Region
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Institution
Art Institute of Chicago
Object ID
67491

From the Art Institute of Chicago record

Initially affordable only among the wealthy, glass was used in ancient Rome as containers for oils, perfume, and tablewares. In the ancient Mediterranean world, scented oils, usually olive oil based, were generally used rather than alcohol-based perfumes. This vessel is called an “alabastron” because objects of this shape were originally made of alabaster. Core-formed glass was made by dipping a removable core that gives the vessel its shape into a molten glass mixture. The pattern was created by trailing threads of glass mixture of different colors over the body of the vessel, then combing the threads with a pointed tool.

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Provenance & credit

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Credit line
Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson
Provenance
Found near Alexandria, Egypt; Azeez Khayat (1875-1943), New York; sold to Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson, Chicago, 1928 [all previous information supported by correspondences in curatorial file]; given to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1949.

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Object type
AAT300193015

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