Head Flask
- Eastern Mediterranean or Italy
- 4th century
- Glass
Catalogue Entry
This bottle was blown from semi-translucent reddish purple glass and then formed in a two-part mold. It is thought that there was no bottom mold. A single line runs around the forehead and a round dot stands out above the line. A complex protrusion that could be wrinkles between his eyebrows, which are tilted up, his eyes are tipped up, and his mouth forms an inverted triangular line. Leaf-shaped decorations are attached to both sides of the face. The neck has raised lines from both sides to the throat, and there seems to be a round, jewel-like form in the center, which has led to the suggestion that this is Medusa with a snake wrapped around her neck. The base that a pontil mark which is cut off at a diagonal but still protrudes and makes the bottle unstable. This bottle was probably used for perfumed oils.