In the modern world as in the ancient, we live surrounded by objects--practical, functional, sometimes even beautiful--that are so much a part of our daily existence that we hardly notice them. This splendid bottle may have once been like that, though it is hard to believe its beauty was ever taken for granted. Time has now graced it with an added dimension of rarity and loveliness that guarantees our constant and deserved attention. It has transcended into the realm of art.