Description:

Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 3rd century CE; Western Europe or United States, ca. 18th century CE. A pair of glass vessels: one ancient Roman jar and an antique onion bottle. The Roman jar is semi-translucent, pale green, with stunning pearlescent encrustations and iridescence. The onion glass bottle is dark amber-green with a distinctive onion shape, deeply concave base for stability, and a collar rimmed mouth for securing the cork. Size of onion bottle: 5.5" Diameter x 7" H (14 cm x 17.8 cm); Roman jar: 4.5" W x 4" H (11.4 cm x 10.2 cm).

Onion bottles, used for wine or rum, were made from thick glass to withstand shipping and storage. The dark tones result from iron oxide in the sand used for the glass. While production started in Europe, it later spread to the American Colonies/United States. Taller, necked bottles like this one date from the 18th century, a deviation from the earlier, stouter 17th-century bottles. For fans of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films, in the first movie during the marooned island beach scene when Captain Jack reveals his secret stash of rum, he is holding a glass onion bottle - this scene is shortly before he famously asks "Why's the rum gone?"

Provenance: private Manchester, Vermont, USA collection; ex-private estate collection, Bennington, Vermont, USA, acquired in the 1960s

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#188702

  • Condition: Both are intact and excellent. Mineral encrustations and earthen deposits on both. Iridescence in on the surfaces, with some flaking when handled.

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August 29, 2024 8:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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