Jan., 191 2. Antiquities from Boscoreale. 201 



BLUE GLASS PITCHER. 24581. [Plate CLV.] 



This pitcher, which resembles the vases of the form called 'askos,' 

 appears to have been found in Villa I, in a cupboard which was in a 

 room of the second story (Camera d). 1 



The vase is in fairly good condition, but there is a small hole 2 in 

 front, and the iridescent dark blue surface has flaked off in many 

 places, leaving a whitish surface. 3 Vase and handle are cast separate- 

 ly. Owing to the thinness of the glass the vase is extremely light. 



The body, which vaguely recalls the form of some animal, e.g. 

 a duck or a snail, is somewhat convex on the under side, except in front, 

 where there is a shallow concavity, and is high and rounded on top. 

 The wide neck which is almost at right angles to the back, and in 

 front forms with the body a slender S-shaped curve, tapers slightly 

 toward the top, but becomes somewhat flaring near the trefoil mouth. 

 The lip is rounded, with a redundant edge of glass folded down on the 

 inside. 



The handle, though made of a single piece of ductile glass, is folded 

 so as to look like a straight strip fastened to an upright at either end. 

 The long string of glass remaining after the formation of the front of 

 the handle is brought back over the top nearly to the rear end. The 

 portion of the handle which serves as grip has a wide deep groove 

 on the upper side and a small shallow groove underneath. 



A glass pitcher of similar shape, but with base, fluted sides, round 

 mouth and arched handle, was found at Pompeii. 4 This form is sub- 

 stantially the same as that of a black-figured askos from Licodia Eubea, 8 

 and of a still older vase in black monochrome ware from Sybaris. 8 

 They are perhaps derived from imitations of the shape of a duck. 7 

 Another form with similar body, but with longer neck and straight 

 handle set at a higher angle, is also found in Pompeian glass ware. 8 

 This form with long neck is also of frequent occurrence in bronzes 

 from Roman sites, particularly in pitchers with high curved handles, 



1 Pasqui. M. A. L. vii, col. 516: "quindi nell'fondo dell' armadioera posato un vasodi vetrotur- 

 chino. in forma di askos con bocca rotonda e con ansa ad arco. che lo attraversava superiormente in 

 tutta la sua lunghezza." Unless a different vase is here referred to, the description of mouth and 

 handle is not quite accurate. ,, 



* M. 0.015X0. 014. The piece is missing. The adjoining piece (m. 0.01 1 X0.014), which is also 

 broken out, is now inside the vase. ' 



' It is perhaps more accurate to say that a portion of surface becomes white and then flakes off, 

 leaving the blue underneath exposed, whereupon the same process is 'repeated. This gradual dis- 

 integration is constantly going on. 



• Nicolini, Case e Monumenti, I. Casa di M. Lucrezio, p. 31, plate 1, No. 15. 

 5 Roem. Mitteil. xiii. p. 331, fig. 41. 



« Mayer, Jahrb. xxii (1907), p. 207, fig. 2. 



7 Mayer, /. c. p. 209. 



"Nicolini, op. eit. II. Descrizione Generate, plate 43; L'Arte in Pompei, plate 26 (blue glass). 



