Perfume or oil bottle
Culture: Greek
Date: late 6th-5th century B.C.
Dimensions:
h. 3 3/4 in. (9.5 cm); diam. 1 5/16 in. (3.3 cm)
Credit Line: Museum Purchase: Stark-Willson Collection
Object number: 86.138.288
Provenance: by purchase, the Stark family, Orange, Texas, between 1927 and 1929; by bequest, the Nelda C. and H. J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, 1965; by purchase, the San Antonio Museum of Art with funding from Mr. and Mrs. Robert Willson, 1986
Label Text
An alabastron is an elongated, narrow-necked vessel for holding perfumes. They were highly esteemed for their attractiveness as well as their contents. Although these vessels are generally found in the graves of women, men were also buried with them, suggesting that they, too, used the perfumed oil which the alabastra contained. (S. Wells, 2003)
Not on view
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
