Luminous Roman Glass Jar: 2nd Century AD

A luminous piece of Roman glass, from Syria, 2nd century AD. Beautifully coloured jaw with baluster shaped body and flared neck, an excellent example of free-blown glass. Glass is a material of contrasts: red hot, viscous and malleable during manufacture: fragile, brittle but durable when completed. The glassmaking mixture of sand, soda and lime used in antiquity has been called 'the first synthetic.' the Romans invented glass blowing by the mid-first century BC. Glass blowing was the greatest single advance in glass technology, and the Romans mastered the technique. Blowing emphasised the translucency and thinness of glass. This jar would've been originally translucent, now bears the beauty of age. As ancient glass ages, it forms thin layers of shimmering, iridescent colours, which can become more beautiful and rich as the colours and feathers in a peacock. This example is noteworthy for its luminous purple and turquoise colouration. It is prized for its quality of iridescence, a feature much later glass-making artisans sucg as Louis Comfort Tiffany emulated. Purchased Ariadna Galleries Inc, New York. Complete with original paperwork and receipt, height 6.5 cm, width 6 cm