Translucent pale blue-green glass beaker with cylindrical body, slightly flaring rim, and patchy white areas covering the outside surface
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

The exterior of this translucent pale blue-green glass beaker is almost entirely covered with rough, patchy white and brown encrustations or dirt accretions. The body is cylindrical and tall, with straight sides that are slightly convex, rounding in gently at the bottom. There are a few shallow, horizontal etched grooves around the body that are barely visible. At the top of the beaker, the rim flares out a bit, ending in a straight edge that looks somewhat rough. This edge appears to have several tiny chips that would make it feel sharp to the touch.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1920.44.68
Title
Beaker
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/292926

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Glass
Technique
Free-blown glass
Dimensions
H. 9.3 x D. 6.3 cm (3 11/16 x 2 1/2 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
1920.44.68
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Intact beaker in pale, blue-green glass; slightly indented base, straight sides with a slight concavity; flared rim. Series of three wheel-made grooves in the middle and a fourth double groove near the base. Minimal dirt accretions and flaking on base.

Classification: C. Isings, Roman Glass from Dated Finds (Djakarta: Groningen, 1957), form 29.

Comparison: Museum of Fine Arts Boston 2014.1110.
Commentary
A beaker is an open-shaped vessel taller than it is wide. The vessels were used for drinking.

Subjects and Contexts

  • Roman Domestic Art

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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