Aryballos

  • Eastern Mediterranean, possibly Rhodes
  • 6th - 5th century B.C.
  • Glass
  • H-7.5
Catalogue Entry

Vessel made of cobalt core-formed glass. The globular body is fitted with a short cylindrical neck which is topped with a round flat mouth rim. Handles made of cobalt glass are attached from the shoulders to directly below the mouth rim. The ends of these loop handles extend down with protruding tips and this is a shape characteristic of this period. The body is circled with spiralling threads of yellow and white glass which have been pulled up and down across the center of the body to create a zigzag pattern. Slight traces of the grooves created when the pattern was applied remain on the surface. A yellow glass threads circles the rim of the mouth. Overall the vessel has developed a lovely coating of iridescence. Made in the shape of a Greek ceramic vessel known as a aryballos used to hold olive oil, these jars made in glass may have been also used to hold olive oil.