A Roman Glass Juglet, Roman Imperial, 1st Century CE

This transparent juglet of pale green glass features a tapered globular body, cylindrical neck, flaring mouth and sits on a flat base that is slightly concave. The separately made handle rises from the shoulder to the rim where it is folded over. The handle would have been pulled out from the body of the vessel before being folded down to reach the shoulder.

Dimensions: Height:  4 inches  (10 cm)

Condition: This bottle features minor weathering and mineral accretions, particularly to the exterior, there is a crack to the handle and hairline cracks to the right side of the body.  Like many glass vessels of this type, the glass is naturally translucent with scattered pale iridescence, particularly to the body.  Aside from these minor issues, it is intact and in very good condition overall.

Provenance: The William R. Crawford collection of Ancient Glass and Antiquities, acquired from the European trade in the 1950's and then by descent.    William R. Crawford, a retired American career diplomat and expert on the Middle East and Cyprus, was Director of Arab-Israeli Affairs at the State Department between 1959-1964, and Deputy Chief of Mission in Cyprus thereafter.  In the 1970's, he was ambassador to Yemen and then to Cyprus and later became principal deputy assistant secretary of state for Near East and South Asian affairs.  He donated part of his collection to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts prior to his death in 2002.