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Roman

Bottle, 2nd century CE-3rd century CE

Now On View

Description

Maker

  • Unknown

Culture

Roman

Title

Bottle

Year

2nd century CE-3rd century CE

Medium

Glass, free-blown

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • glass

Dimensions

Height: 24.5 cm (9 5/8 inches)

Type

  • Glass

Credit

Gift of Mr. Albert E. Southwick

Object Number

60.028

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Glass from the Museum's Collection

January 17, 1973 - March 10, 1974

Ancient Greek and Roman Galleries

The flakiness and iridescence of this bottle are evidence of deterioration due to weathering. The weathered layers of the glass are part of the object; they are not dirt or minerals that have fused to the glass. Seasonal wetting of the soil leached alkali from the exterior of the object, leaving a layer of almost pure silica behind. As the glass weathers from the outside in, subsequent wet seasons will leave a buildup of silica layers. There can be dozens of these layers, even hundreds. The brittle silica layers create a flaky effect which refracts light, giving an iridescent appearance.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Bottle with the accession number of 60.028. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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