Object Title
Scented oil or perfume bottle (unguentarium)
Measurements
h. 19.8 cm; rim diam. 4.9 cm; base diam. 9.4 cm
Creation Date
2nd-3rd century A.D.
Credit Line
San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of the Estate of Dr. Milton Jacobs
Museum Contact
Jessica Powers, PhD
Culture
Country of Origin
Object Type
Materials / Techniques
Object URL
https://sanantonio.emuseum.com/objects/22594/scented-oil-or-perfume-bottle-unguentarium?ctx=508ee4f3-742c-403a-aa0d-231b566a62c0&idx=0
Museum's Definition of Antiquity
A.D. 800
Provenance Information
with Dr. Milton Jacobs (1927-2018), San Antonio, by 2018; gift of his estate to the San Antonio Museum of Art, 2019
Exhibition Information
n/a
Publication Information
n/a
Section of the AAMD Guidelines relied upon for the exception to 1970
Informed judgement that works were outside of the country of modern discovery before 1970
Explain why the object fits the exception set forth above
The collector from whose estate the San Antonio Museum of Art acquired this work purchased a number of ancient objects on the London art market in the 1960s and 1970s, but SAMA has been unable to substantiate the precise date when he acquired this bottle. The bottle is inscribed on the bottom, in ink, with what appears to be a former inventory number: 955.64.21/E119, but SAMA has been unable to identify a previous owner associated with this number. SAMA’s collection has no other bottles of this type, so the acquisition fills a gap in the collection of Roman glass.