Roman Art, Bird Shape Flacon Bottles Editorial Photo

Treasures of the Louvre Museum, Paris, France. These small sculptural flasks are shaped like glass birds and produced in northern Italy during the first century AD. It was made by blowing glass, a technique discovered by Romans at the eastern reaches of the empire circa 50 BC. These bird flasks were toiletry containers and have been found all over the Mediterranean area. They contained cosmetics in powder form, access to which was gained by breaking the end of the bird's tail. The bird-shaped flask in transparent, slightly coloured glass is one of a great number of small naturalistic containers designed to contain cosmetics in powder form, access to which was gained by breaking the end of the bird's tail, rather like a modern ampoule; there is no other opening in the flask.