Published: May 15, 2018 • By Nora I. Moriarty and Debby Sneed

Catalogue Entry听Photograph of a clear glass vessel with a round body and a relatively short neck that tapers into a horizontal, disk-shaped mouth, from the side against a neutral gray background.

From the Catalogue of听Ancient Glass in the University of Colorado Museum

Gift of H. Medill Sarkisian and Justine Sarkisian Rodriguez (1979)
听(2008)
Height: 8.1听cm
Diameter (max.)听7.1听cm
Roman, 3rd century C.E.

Classification:听Harden Fabric 3

Description: Wide, flat rim. Cylindrical neck, constricted at its base with abrupt transition to globular body. Small base foot. Greenish yellow inside, otherwise translucent. Blown.听

Comment:听The CU collection contains听another example of a Roman sprinkler.听This sprinkler is a less elaborate version of such bottles as Hayes 1975,听no. 282, and Stern 2001, no. 140, which have faint diagonal ribs, and听Fitzwilliam Museum 1978,听no. 105a, which has a honeycomb pattern.

Though there is no record as to when or how the museum acquired this piece, it has been part of the collection since at least 1979, as it was exhibited that year by the chemistry department as part of a lecture by , a metallurgist and science historian who worked on the Manhattan Project.

Discussion

The greenish color of this sprinkler was most likely caused by a small amount of iron in the fabric's ingredients. Green tinted glass was manufactured in ancient Rome听by including one- to three-percent of iron in the mix of sand and nitrate. These were all mixed and melted in a hot kiln. We cannot know how much Roman glassmakers could control the levels of tint, but they were aware of which ingredients resulted in which colors (1).

The shape of this sprinkler is perfect for its use. It was intended to hold perfume and scented oils for cosmetic purposes. The wide, flaring lip over the narrow, constricted neck made it possible to control the flow of liquid being dispensed. A Roman man or woman could have easily tipped the glass to only release one or two drops at a time听without accidentally dousing themselves in perfume.

Footnotes

  1. Donald B. Harden,听Roman Glass from Karanis听(Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 1936): 6-9.

References

  • Glass at the Fitzwilliam Museum.听Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,听1978.
  • Hayes, J. W.听Roman and Pre-Roman Glass in the Royal Ontario Museum.听Toronto:听1975.
  • Stern, E. M.听Roman, Byzantine, and Early Medieval Glass: 10 BCE-700 CE: The Ernesto Wolf Collection.听Ostfildern-Ruit: Hatje Cantz, 2001.
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