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Janiform Head Flask

100–400 CE
glass, mold-blown
Diameter: 4.6 cm (1 13/16 in.); Overall: 6.4 cm (2 1/2 in.)
Gift of J. H. Wade 1923.945
Location: not on view
Public Domain
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The iridescence covering much of the surface obscures the original violet-like color.

Description

Called Janiform after Janus, the two-faced Roman god associated with doorways and beginnings, two-faced head flasks like this were popular across the Roman Empire. The faces themselves, quite similar to one another, could both represent Janus, although he is typically bearded and here the gender is unclear. Some other two-faced head flasks clearly differentiate between the two sides, showing one serious, the other smiling.
Janiform Head Flask

Janiform Head Flask

100–400 CE

Roman, probably Eastern Mediterranean

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