Roman glass at the Corning Museum in New York

[guy]

One of the best threads on X (formerly known as Twitter) that deal with daily Roman life, especially glasswares, is from Dr Jo Ball @JEBall. She drew my attention to The Corning Museum’s wonderful collection of ancient Roman glass:

 

 

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The Morgan Cup [AD 1-50] is a rare example of Roman cameo glass. Cameo glass is made by encasing one color with one or more layers of contrasting colored glass. After cooling, the outer layer is cut away to create a scene in relief. Depicted here is a pregnant woman who worships at an outdoor sanctuary. This cup is named after J. Pierpont Morgan, who once owned it.

 

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This drinking vessel [AD 275-325] was decorated with sinuous snake-thread trails of molten glass patterned to form the bodies of leaping dolphins.

 

 

 

 

 

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[AD 300-399] Cage cups are among the rarest examples of Roman luxury glass. They were made by creating a thick blank, which was then carefully undercut into a network of interconnected ovals. 

 

 

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After the mid-fourth century, glassmaking declined in the Roman Empire. In the east, where the decline was less pronounced, a group of deep blue flasks, pitchers, and lamps with coiled bases was produced. Only three other head flasks made from the same mold are known to exist. The Corning flask once belonged to the celebrated operatic tenor Enrico Caruso.

 

 

 

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This jar [AD 50-75] was decorated by gathering molten glass on a blowpipe and rolling it in chips of colored glass before the process of blowing was completed.

 

https://www.cmog.org/set/glass-romans-featured-objects

Edited November 2, 2023 by guy

[caesar novus]

Nice; I've brought it up before, but will add more here. I went to a glass lecture by a (technical) rep of that museum, and asked about the myth that glass is slightly fluid over the centuries. It sounds silly and he did deny it, but there is various supposed evidence out there. After the lecture he was nibbling at an appetizer table and I got more explanation on what accounts for that misleading evidence and how it applies to Roman glass.

Bottom line is that the topsy-turvy Roman glass at our local museum is that way because they (or their donors) could only afford cheaper objects, not because Roman objects wilted in underground pressure and volcanic heat. Or at least our museum had other priorities than than premium Roman objects and the security they would need. The post above has slightly asymmetrical blue objects but ours just scream asymmetry.

BTW, I had no idea that lecture would have a Roman connection but went because it was held in an outrageous "arabian-nights-like" mansion of the once richest women in the world. The estate hadn't finished being converted to a museum, but I got on an email list for stealth events there (no outsiders allowed to drive or walk in that neighborhood). The very rich/artistic audience showed little comprehension of the technicalities of glass, so the speaker seemed to appreciate my odd but at least on-topic line of questioning.

Edited October 31, 2023 by caesar novus