327. Flask

Condition

Intact. The surface bears iridescent patches and brownish accretions.

Description

Horizontal, in-folded, and flattened rim; long, cylindrical neck, slightly constricted at its base; conical body; concave base. At the center of the bottom, a circular pontil mark (W. 1.7, Th. 0.5 cm) is visible. White, marvered trail spirally wound five times before the final expansion of the vessel decorates the body and neck of the flask.

Comments and Comparanda

Vessels in this form of flask—with the extremely long neck compared to the short, conical body—are known as Candlestick Unguentaria, and they are widely present in the eastern Mediterranean from the late first to the second century CE (Isings 1957, pp. 97–98, form 82.A.2, Karanis class XIII.A.1.; Antonaras 2017, pp. 152–154, form 131). In most cases these are plain, undecorated vessels (e.g., Whitehouse 1997a, p. 154, no. 263; Whitehouse 2003, p. 142, no. 1135), but there are decorated examples like this vessel with a spirally wound, opaque white thread that was marvered flush to the surface, datable to the late first and second centuries CE. An almost identical flask, probably from Egypt, is now in the Corning Museum of Glass (53.1.27, Whitehouse 2001a, p. 209, no. 773).

Provenance

By 1974–1988, Erwin Oppenländer, 1901–1988 (Waiblingen, Germany), by inheritance to his son, Gert Oppenländer, 1988; 1988–2003, Gert Oppenländer (Waiblingen, Germany), sold to the J. Paul Getty Museum, 2003

Bibliography

von Saldern et al. 1974, p. 136, no. 376.

Exhibitions

Gläser der Antike: Sammlung Erwin Oppenländer (Hamburg and Cologne, 1974–1975)