Harvard Art Museums > 1920.44.75: Unguentarium (cosmetic bottle) Vessels Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Unguentarium (cosmetic bottle) , 1920.44.75,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Apr 20, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/292905. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1920.44.75 Title Unguentarium (cosmetic bottle) Classification Vessels Work Type vessel Date 1st-2nd century CE Places Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World Period Roman Imperial period Culture Roman Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/292905 Physical Descriptions Medium Glass Technique Free-blown glass Dimensions 4.3 cm (1 11/16 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History Elizabeth Gaskell Norton, Boston, MA and Margaret Norton, Cambridge, MA (by 1920), gift; to the Fogg Museum, 1920. Note: The Misses Norton were the daughters of Charles Elliot Norton (1827-1908). Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of the Misses Norton Accession Year 1920 Object Number 1920.44.75 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description Intact ungentarium of pale blue-green glass. Round spherical bottom; tall tubular neck; flat rim. Classification: C. Isings, Roman Glass from Dated Finds (Djakarta: Groningen, 1957), form 6/26. Commentary An unguentarium is a small bottle used for ointments, perfumes, balms, and other liquids associated with the toilet. Vessels typically have a bulbous bottom and narrow, tubular neck, but lack handles. Bulbous-bottomed, glass unguentaria were one of the earliest shapes to be made using the glassblowing technique. A piriform unguentarium is distinguished by its pear-shaped base (see 2012.1.87). The bulbous form of the unguentarium was originally made in colored glass, but by the first century CE the pale, blue-green glass seen here predominated. In later forms, the bottom flattens and the neck becomes longer. The unguentarium is sometimes not distinguished from the balsamarium, another vessel used to hold balms and ointments (see 2003.100.7). Subjects and Contexts Roman Domestic Art Related Articles Getting Schooled by Kids: What We Learned in the Age of Remote Teaching Jen Thum, Frances Gallart Marqués, Yan Yang January 27, 2022 Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
