Aryballos (Oil Flask)

Copied Unidentified (Roman Empire), Aryballos (Oil Flask), 1st-4th century AD, blown and applied hot-worked glass, 3 14 × 2 14 in. diam. (8.3 × 5.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.8.157.19
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Artwork Details

Title
Aryballos (Oil Flask)
Artist
Unidentified (Roman Empire)
Date
1st-4th century AD
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
3 14 × 2 14 in. diam. (8.3 × 5.7 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of John Gellatly
Mediums Description
blown and applied hot-worked glass
Classifications
Object Number
1929.8.157.19

Artwork Description

Ancient glass beguiled artists and connoisseurs with its rich colors and irregularities--signs of hand workmanship that distinguished these vessels from factory-made glass. For John Gellatly, such imperfections likely added to their value; these were favorites within his vast collection, objects that he allegedly "sat fingering late into the night," according to a reporter at the time of their donation to the Smithsonian Institution.

Sargent, Whistler, and Venetian Glass: American Artists and the Magic of Murano, 2021.