Art Institute of Chicago

Wide-Bottomed Flask

Roman, Eastern Mediterranean

Date

3rd century

Medium

Glass, blown technique

Culture

Eastern Mediterranean Region

Department

Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

The iridescent sheen on this flask, an artificially created effect sought after by 19th-century glassmaking innovators such as Louis Comfort Tiffany, was not actually intended by or known to their makers. Because of their association with luxury and precious oils and perfumes, these vessels were often buried with their owners in tombs, the chemical conditions of which, over time, have caused the surfaces to deteriorate, resulting in the shimmering, often opalescent, hues that appeal to the modern eye.

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