Aryballos

Unknown

6th century

Glass

J. Paul Getty Museum

A small, amber-colored glass aryballos with two handles and a wide mouth sits against a neutral gray background. The vessel has a rounded body and a narrow neck. A small, amber-colored glass aryballos with two handles and a wide mouth sits against a neutral gray background. The vessel has a rounded body and a narrow neck. This jar is called an "aryballos," and it once held perfumed oil for anointing the body. Its round, squat shape reflects the technique used to create it: glassblowing. In this technique molten glass is inflated like a balloon at the end of a tube. Glassblowing was invented in the east coast region of the Mediterranean several centuries before this piece was made. Its development was accompanied by new techniques of decorating the glass while it was still hot. The vessel's p