Aryballos (Oil Flask)

Copied Unidentified (Roman), Aryballos (Oil Flask), 1st-4th century AD, blown and applied hot-worked glass, 3 58 × 3 12 × 3 58 in. (9.2 × 8.9 × 9.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.8.170.23
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Artwork Details

Title
Aryballos (Oil Flask)
Artist
Unidentified (Roman)
Date
1st-4th century AD
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
3 58 × 3 12 × 3 58 in. (9.2 × 8.9 × 9.2 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of John Gellatly
Mediums Description
blown and applied hot-worked glass
Classifications
Keywords
  • Object — other — container
Object Number
1929.8.170.23

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.