A Roman pale blue-green glass unguents toilet bottle or unguentarium with an everted rim, a squat neck and a bulbous body, standing on a flattened base. The glass is relatively thick and mostly covered with a lovely iridescent silvery sheen.
 
Ancient Roman Eastern Empire: Circa 2nd-3rd Century AD.
 
Condition: Complete and intact; a stable stress fracture running around part of the base; a few patches of light accretions
Height 10.2 cms (5.7 ins).
 
Provenance: The R.K. collection of ancient glass, UK. purchased 2006 from a London dealership
 
Compare with item 434; Ancient Glass in the National Museums Scotland; C. S. Lightfoot.
 
Glass was produced in large numbers in the later Roman Empire. It was used to produce items of everyday use, for keeping expensive unguents and cosmetic oils which would have been gathered from all corners of the expansive empire.
 
See our blog post on Roman glass