In the late seventh century B.C., an extensive glass industry developed on the island of Rhodes, under the influence of Phoenician and Mesopotamian craftsmen. New shapes were introduced imitating Greek vessels. They were used as containers for cosmetics and perfumes, and their distribution attests to the trade routes followed by the Greeks and Phoenician merchants.
This translucent glass amphoriskos is fashioned on a core, with a tapering ovoid body, a cylindrical neck and an out-splaying rim. Two handles are attached to the shoulder and the top of the neck. The decoration consists of white spiraling trailed marvered bands starting at the rim and continuing to under the shoulder, where they are combed into an uneven pattern of feathers and continue with spirals again round the bottom.
The amphoriskoi are notable for their use of translucent glass for the handles and the buttons on the tips of the bases.
