Art Institute of Chicago

Alabastron (Container for Scented Oil)

Ancient Mediterranean; Alexandria, Egypt

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 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 This vessel is called an “alabastron” because objects of this shape were originally made of alabaster.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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