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LATE 1st century BCE–EARLY 1st century CE · GLASS

Roman glass oinochoe

A jug for pouring, not necessarily an oil bottle

The shape of this glass jar facilitates pouring liquids, although we do not know what it contained.

Museum documentation · free public access, no account required.

Image 1 of 2 · Main image
DECLARED VISUAL RECONSTRUCTION · AI-GENERATED IMAGE · TRACEKEEPERS

Generated reconstruction · Declared visual hypothesis

Declared visual reconstruction; not a photograph of the original nor documentary evidence.

Image 1 of 2 · Main image
Image of Roman glass oinochoe
DECLARED VISUAL RECONSTRUCTION · AI-GENERATED IMAGE · TRACEKEEPERS

Generated reconstruction · Declared visual hypothesis

Declared visual reconstruction; not a photograph of the original nor documentary evidence.

History and context

The oinochoe is a jar with mouth and handle designed for pouring. This glass example shows how a form known in pottery and metal was translated into a bright, technically demanding material.

Oil, wine, water or perfume may be suggested by context; without residues or a closed find, none should become a definite primary function.

Evidence and interpretation

Form, chronology, glass and inventory are documented. Content and use scene are not.

Catalogue facts

Date
Late 1st century BCE–early 1st century CE
Inventory
The Met 17.194.170
Material
Glass
Formal function
Jar for pouring

A SHARED TOPIC, DIFFERENT MOMENTS

Objects connected through time

Follow a topic across the collections. A shared tag is a way to compare objects, not proof that one culture influenced another.

The order uses the midpoint of each approximate date range; ranges can overlap. Spacing does not represent elapsed time. Swipe, scroll or use the arrows. With the sequence focused, use ← / →, Home or End.

Glass5 dated objects

3 / 5In the centre: Roman glass oinochoe

Also connected, without a comparable date (1)

These objects are not placed after the others: an unknown date does not mean a more recent object.

A closer look

About 1 min to read · 1 section. Further reading and sources · free access. Editorial review recorded: .

The glass retains a memory of metal

The lower joint of the handle is diamond-shaped and reproduces a fastening plate typical of metal vessels. It also incorporates a thumb rest and a central rib. The Metropolitan interprets these details as imitation of metal models, transferred to a pale blue, partially opaque glass. It is not merely copying a silhouette: the artisan preserves recognisable elements of another material. Observing the handle allows study of how a technical innovation could be presented through familiar forms, without deducing from them what liquid this specific jar contained.

Location and territory

Physical world map with routes of human evolutionPresent-day world coastline from Natural Earth in an equirectangular projection. The overlaid markers let you explore each milestone.Map base: Natural Earth 1:110m · public domain · present-day reference coastline

REGIONAL AREA

Etruria and formative Italy; the later Roman expansion was much greaterEtruria and formative Italy; the later Roman expansion was much greater. The footprint indicates the orientative centre of the area, not a boundary nor an exact point.

Where it is held

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Item or group in the record · Documented collection

Inventory 17.194.170.

The holding institution is documented; public display may change. Check its official record before visiting.

Sources and references

Open the Official Record of This Piece

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