Ribbed Bowl

The unknown maker probably intended this ribbed bowl of brown and white marbling to imitate the appearance of an agate bowl. Vessels carved from semi-precious stone were a fashionable and expensive luxury item in first-century Rome. Glass bowls that resembled agate ones were much less expensive to produce and satisfied the increased demand for the look of stone.

Small bowls with vertical ribs on the exterior are one of the most common forms of early Roman glass vessels. The form originated with cut glass bowls of the Hellenistic period, but the technique of manufacturing the bowls changed. Beginning in the first century B.C., Roman glassmakers began casting these bowls in molds. They were made in a variety of glass types: plain, colored, mosaic, and marbled.