Art Institute of Chicago

Bowl Fragment

Roman

Date

1st century BCE-1st century CE

Medium

Glass, ribbon technique

Culture

Roman Empire

Department

Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

In ancient Rome, there was a high demand for colorful glass that could dazzle banquet guests alongside the expensive silver and gold serving wares meant to impress. Fragments like this one would have once been a part of larger mosaic dishes. The ribbon pattern was made by bundling rows of parallel rods of glass, which were then fused to create swirling patterns

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