Art Institute of Chicago

Alabastron (Container for Scented Oil)

Ancient Mediterranean

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

Initially affordable only among the wealthy, glass was used in ancient Rome to create tableware and containers for oils and perfume. In the ancient Mediterranean world, scented oils, usually olive oil based, were used more frequently than alcohol-based perfumes. This vessel is called an alabastron because objects of this shape were originally made of alabaster. To create it, an oblong, heat-resistant form was dipped into molten glass and then removed, leaving behind the core-formed glass object. The patterned exterior was created by trailing different colored threads of glass over the body of the vessel and then combing the threads with a pointed tool.

The authoritative record is held by Art Institute of Chicago. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.