Perfume Bottle (Alabastron)

Object Name: 
Perfume Bottle (Alabastron)

Notice of Upcoming Content and Access Change

The Museum is working on the future of our online collections access. A new version will be available later in 2023. During this transition period, the current version of the Collections Browser may have reduced functionality and data may be not be updated. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. For any questions or concerns, please contact us.

What is AAT?

The Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT) (r) is a structured vocabulary for generic concepts related to art and architecture. It was developed by The Getty Research Institute to help research institutions become consistent in the terminology they use.Learn More

Object Name: 
Perfume Bottle (Alabastron)
Place Made: 
Accession Number: 
59.1.65
Dimensions: 
Overall H: 16.8 cm, D: 4.8 cm
Location: 
On Display
Date: 
799-600 BCE
Primary Description: 
Translucent yellow or olive green glass now weathered to grey- brown, limey accretion adhering to surface, trails of opaque white glass now weathered to a buff or off-white; core-formed, tooled and trail decorated. Rounded thickened rim on cylindrical neck spreads out to form angular shoulder and down into long cylindrical body which tapers to a rounded point; two "duck head" handles applied at shoulder with loops at top for suspension; starting at rim, a single trail is applied and left in relief, trailed on the neck six times, twice on the shoulder and around the body fifty-five times, terminating in a thick trail at the base; the body has been ribbed with a sharp point which has created over thirty vertical furrows but has not moved the opaque white trails into the characteristic feathered or festooned pattern.
Department: 
Provenance: 
Smith, Ray Winfield (American, 1897-1982), Source
1959-07-27
Glass from the Ancient World
Venue(s)
Corning Museum of Glass 1957-06-04 through 1957-09-15
Glass and Glass Production in the Near East During the Iron Age: Evidence from Objects, Texts and Chemical Analysis (2019) illustrated, pp. 225, 281 (AM45);
Die nicht-geblasenen antiken Glasgefasse (2009) illustrated, p. 10; BIB# 110654
Historie du Verre: L'Antiquite (2005) illustrated, p. 41; BIB# 76552
The aAchaeology of Midas and the Phrygians: Recent Work at Gordion (2005) illustrated, p. 102, fig. 8-1; BIB# 86938
A Search for Franchini Scent Bottles (1995) pp. 15-17, fig. 4, ill.; BIB# AI36707
Treasures from The Corning Museum of Glass (1992) illustrated, p. 11, #2; p. 246; BIB# 35679
Masterpieces of Glass: A World History From The Corning Museum of Glass (1990) illustrated, pp. 22-23, pl. 3; BIB# 33819
A Short History of Glass (1990 edition) (1990) illustrated, p. 18, #4; BIB# 33211
Book of Glass (1986) p. 37;
A Short History of Glass (1980 edition) (1980) illustrated, p. 15, #4; BIB# 21161
Pre-Roman and Early Roman Glass in The Corning Museum of Glass (1979) illustrated, p. 104, #204, pl. 12; BIB# 29547
Glass and Glassmaking in Ancient Mesopotamia (1970) p. 169, fig. 80, #8; BIB# 27367
Mesopotamian core-formed glass vessels (1500-500 B.C.) (1970) illustrated, p. 169, #8 (fig. 80); BIB# 143382
Glass from the Ancient World: The Ray Winfield Smith Collection (1957) illustrated, pp. 27-28, #17; BIB# 27315