English
Silk Road Collection
Glass

Mold-blown amphoriskos

  • Eastern Mediterranean
  • 1st century BC -2nd century AD
  • Roman
  • glass
  • H9.8×W4.3cm

Glass-blowing originated in the Eastern Mediterranean region in the mid-first century BC. This glass-making technique, wherein molten glass is attached to the end of a pole or rod and then blown into shape, made it possible to make glass faster and in larger quantities compared to core-forming or molded glass techniques. Thus, glass went from being a luxury product for only a few people to an everyday item that was affordable for ordinary people.These mold-blown glass pieces were formed by blowing molten glass into molds that can be disassembled. Some early pieces contain the maker's name (such as Ennion) or the name of the place where they originated, which suggests that they were some kind of branded product. The molds used for these pieces were divided into two or three parts, and the joints of the mold bulged out from the surface of the formed glass vessel. Many of the early pieces were small bottles used to store perfumed oil with designs such as ribbed patterns, concentric circles, fruit (grapes, dates, etc.) and human figures.