A Roman Bronze Aryballos, ca. 1st - 2nd century CE

An ancient container used for storing oil and precious perfumes, the aryballos used by the Greeks and Romans for their personal hygiene after exercising and in the Roman baths. Commonly used by ancient Greek athletes, they can often be seen in ancient Greek art, where they are sometimes shown hanging from pegs on a wall or suspended from straps tied around the athlete's wrist, as part of the athlete's "kit" of sponge, strigil and aryballos.  A very popular shape in the ancient Greek period (the first examples appear in the 7th century B.C.), the aryballos was carried suspended from a string: and while most of the preserved examples are of terracotta, they less often exist in glass and bronze. This wonderful example has a globular body with a small stepped foot, a rounded rim on a softly sloped shoulder, with two looped handle attachments of triangular form to accommodate an arched, twisted handle with duck head terminals. The original flat lid is connected to the handle by a link chain.

Dimensions: Height with handle: 4 inches (10.2 cm)

Condition:  Intact and in very good condition overall.

Provenance:  Private Maryland collection, acquired from Ancient World Arts, Ltd, CT in July, 2000.