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Roman greenish glass beaker with ‘lotus buds’

Ridiculously called ‘lotus buds’ by some curators, nodules on beakers of this type are sometimes also called ‘almond shapes’, but the beaker is more likely a stylized version of Hercules’ club (there’s an upcoming academic paper on this).

 

This flared beaker of greenish glass was blown into a four-part mold (including the base). Six rows of graduated drop-shaped motifs, arranged in offset horizontal registers, decorate the exterior. The rim is plain and cut. The mouth is enhanced by two wheel-incised lines just below the rim, and a concentric ring articulates the bottom of the vessel above the flattened vase. There are also two mold-made concentric rings on the bottom of the vase.

 

This design is pretty common in the Roman world. Another example in amber glass can be seen below.

 

Roman

Made in the Eastern Mediterranean

1st century CE

 

Getty Villa Museum (85.AF.90)

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Uploaded on February 22, 2024
Taken on June 15, 2023