Large Ancient Roman Glass Cosmetic Flask

Early Roman Period 37 BCE – 70 CE, 8.3” Inches High and 2.5” Inches Wide

This beautiful light blue Roman glass flask features a low, bulbous body and a long, slightly tapering tubular neck. It has a flattened base and a rounded rim. The flask exhibits areas of iridescence, along with a multi-colored crust in some spots and light encrustation. It is intact in very good condition.

This flask was used to store costly oils and unguents from around the Roman Empire. The contents could be poured slowly in tiny drops, and the small opening was easily stoppered.

In the middle of the 1st century BC, just as Rome was emerging as the Mediterranean’s dominant political, military, and economic power, a technique pioneered by Syrian craftsmen arrived: glassblowing. It revolutionized the industry overnight, allowing the Romans to produce glass much more quickly, at a fraction of the cost and on a vast scale.