A ROMAN WHITE, RED AND BLUE SPLASHED GLASS AMPHORISKOS

The "splash" technique was achieved by attaching coloured chips to the vessel, then reheating and marvering the surface. The vessel was then further inflated (see D. Whitehouse, Roman Glass in the Corning Museum of Glass, Vol. 1, 1997, p. 207, for more information on the technique). It has been suggested that such "splashed" vessels may have been intended to imitate the highly sought-after mosaic glass of the 1st Century B.C. (see D. B. Harden, Glass of the Caesars, 1987, p. 101). This technique was short-lived - according to Whitehouse, "a cautious interpretation of the available evidence suggests a starting date in the early first century, a peak of production around 50, and a terminal date around 70" (op. cit.).