This attractive glass vessel dates to the heyday of Mediterranean glass production in the Mediterranean. It is a flagon-like piece, with a globular body – the widest portion being 1/3 up the side profile – narrowing to a constricted apex. The neck, which was added separately, is columnar, with a large, horizontal flange lip. The body and the neck are joined by an ornate strip handle, the apex of which is lower than the vessel’s lip, and is attached to the body in a wave-like pattern. The ground is green, with a patina of age that bestows an attractive opalescence. Its function is uncertain, although its size implies that it was designed for use for foodstuffs rather than as an uguentarium.

Basic glass-working involved working around a clay core and the use of moulds, and was developed about 3000 BC. Glass was thus difficult and expensive to produce, and was exclusively an elite product. It was only with the invention of glass-blowing in the region of modern-day Syria – around the first century BC – that glass production became anything approximating to an industry. The decoration, production and uses of glass all proliferated as it spread, leading to further stylistic and technical diversity. It was particularly taken up by Roman craftsmen, who spread it across their empire with resultant changes and modifications. Regionalisation of glass manufacture became the norm, as Palestinian, Cypriot, Pontic and Egyptian glass-makers thrived in the early years of the first millennium AD.

This is an elegant and understated piece of ancient glass, and a worthy addition to any collection of the genre.