Art Institute of Chicago

Amphoriskos (Container for Oil)

Byzantine

Date

5th-7th century

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 as containers for oils, perfume, and tablewares. The word “amphoriskos”, Greek for “small amphora”, refers to this object’s shape, a miniature version of the two-handled metal or ceramic vessels that contained oil or wine. Core-formed glass was made by dipping a removable core that gives the vessel its shape into a molten glass mixture. The technical achievements and prestige of glass continued through the Byzantine period.

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