Roman, ca. 2^nd – 3^rd century A.D.

Glass

H: 9.5 cm

Serial: 34845

Provenance: Ex- US private collection, acquired in New York, 1998.

Exhibited: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2 June-6 October 2002.

The jug was blown in the transparent blue glass. The shape of the vessel is well proportioned: the globular body with indentations in the sides is connected to a long cylindrical neck. The mouth with the finely modeled lip was pinched to form the trefoil. The coil handle is attached to the shoulder and the mouth.

A large part of the form repertoire of ancient glassworkers was designed for tableware use, in particular for transporting and serving water and wine at banquets. Jugs, one of the most frequently used containers, existed in various dimensions (the smaller examples would contain condiments, the largest ones beverages) and shapes: a spherical or more elongated body, a flat or higher, molded base, a trefoil-shaped or circular and elaborate mouth.

The replacement of terracotta by glass as a raw material for the manufacture of all types of containers is to be regarded as a major technological revolution in the Classical world: this shift, which occurred gradually between the late Hellenistic period and the first centuries of the Imperial times, was facilitated by the invention - probably in the Levantine - and widespread use of the blowpipe and of furnaces able to resist the temperatures needed for the melting of sands (transparent glass). With a versatility like no other known material in Roman times, abundant availability, lightness and ease of use, glass enabled the imitation of a wide range of other materials (especially precious metals), whether in the form, the design or the color. Furthermore, and the ancients had certainly noticed this fact, glass is a chemically neutral substance, what makes it particularly suitable for the storage of food, but also of cosmetics or pharmaceutical products.