Cinerary urn. High Imperial Roman Empire, 1st-2nd century A.D.

Cinerary urn. High Imperial Roman Empire, 1st-2nd century A.D.
Blown glass.
Provenance European private collection.
Similar urns have appeared in Rome, Pompeii or Trier, and are preserved in museums such as the Vatican or the British Museum.
The iridescent patina not only embellishes the surface: it also bears witness to its age and the humid environment where it was buried for centuries. Its state of preservation is extraordinary.
Measurements: 36.5 x 24 x 24 cm.

This Roman cinerary urn in blown glass, dated between the first and second centuries AD, is a remarkable example of the technical excellence achieved by the artisans of the High Empire in the work of glass. This piece stands out both for its slender formal harmony and for the fascinating iridescent effect that today covers its surface, a product of the degradation of the glass over the centuries, and which gives the work an almost ethereal appearance, tinged in shades of blue, green and purple. The body, globular in shape and slightly pointed towards the base, is topped with a truncated conical neck that opens into a wide mouth with a rounded rim. Two symmetrical vertical handles, elegantly applied, connect the shoulder to the neck. The urn is preserved intact, including its original low cone-shaped lid with upper knob, an exceptional feature.

This type of funerary vessel contained the ashes of the deceased after cremation. It was used both in private contexts and in urban columbaria in the Roman world. The use of glass - more fragile than ceramic or stone - provided a special symbolism: its transparency suggested openness to the immaterial world, and its delicacy contrasted with the idea of the permanence of the soul.

The techniques of free blowing or molding reflect an aesthetic and technological transformation of the period. The purity of lines and forms reveals an imperial sensibility that valued sobriety and technical perfection.