Glass hydriske (perfume bottle)

late 4th–3rd century BCE
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 158
Translucent cobalt blue, with handles in same color; trails in opaque white and opaque yellow.
Horizontal rim-disk, with rounded edge; tall cylindrical neck, slanting forward; broad horizontal shoulder; ovoid body; applied circular pad-base, with rounded edge and flat bottom; at junction of shoulder and body, two small vertical loop handles; strap handle also applied at junction of shoulder and body in a pad, drawn up and outwards, then turned in and pressed on to underside of rim-disk.
An unmarvered blob of yellow on front edge of rim; a white trail attached to bottom of neck and wound across shoulder; a yellow trail, applied over white at shoulder and wound round; then both trails tooled in a close-set zigzag pattern with deep vertical ribs over top half of body, then continuing down in a spiral in three horizontal lines around lower body.
Complete, except for most of one handle, and small circular hole surrounded by cracks in lower side of body; dulling and slight pitting, with traces of weathering, especially on trails.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Glass hydriske (perfume bottle)
  • Period: Hellenistic
  • Date: late 4th–3rd century BCE
  • Culture: Greek, Eastern Mediterranean
  • Medium: Glass; core-formed, Group II
  • Dimensions: 2 7/8 × 1 15/16 × 1 13/16 in. (7.4 × 4.9 × 4.7 cm)
    Diam. of rim: 15/16 in. (2.4 cm)
    Diam. of foot: 3/4 in. (1.9 cm)
  • Classification: Glass
  • Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917
  • Object Number: 17.194.759
  • Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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