Cosmetic Container
4th-6th century
- Medium
- Glass, blown technique
- Classification
- Vessel
- Dimensions
- 10.3 × 5.1 × 3.8 cm (4 1/16 × 2 × 1 1/2 in.)
- Culture
- Mediterranean Region
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
- Credit line
- Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
Initially affordable only among the wealthy, glass was used in ancient Rome to create tableware and containers for oils and perfume. The variety of glass-making techniques reveals the changing tastes and fashions over the centuries. During the 1st century, cast glass was a novel form and a luxury for Roman households. By the end of the century, however, innovations in technique allowed for cheaper and less labor-intensive production, making it affordable to people of lesser means. Blown glass nearly supplanted ceramic and even bronze wares in popularity. This prestige carried well into the Byzantine period.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
