Roman Amphora - Real or fake?

I purchased this roman glass amphora. It's about 4" tall. Any idea if it's real or fake? If it is real, any idea what it would have been used for?

 

I wouldn't call it an amphora. Roman glass is thin-walled, so I am not convinced. I will tag a knowledgeable member for you, @Ownedbybear .

While you're waiting, here is some interesting reading material:
https://www.collector-antiquities.com/real-or-fake/fake-ancient-glass.html

Since you like antiquities, this page contains excellent advice for the budding collector:
https://heliosgallery.com/antiquities/tips-on-collecting/

 

Thanks so much for your thoughts. How about this piece?

 

I don't know where you are, but with antiquities like Roman glass, if possible I would take them to a museum for an opinion.

 

I'd second Marie's advice to take it to a museum. I don't know anything about Roman glass, but recall seeing a piece about a supposedly early Roman piece; the author pointed out that at least for the period under consideration, the Romans were not able to work with glass in the way we now take for granted in glass-blowing.
I'm sure their techniques improved over time - but at that period, they were able to melt glass, but had to pour a big bunch of it out to cool, and then would break off a big chunk and carve it into a vase. Seriously a great deal of work; and it would not look at all like a blown-glass item.

 

It isn't an amphora, those have pointed ends. Both of those pieces are way too thick walled for Roman glass vessels, as aj rightly says.

Glass was blown by the Romans, and they even did mould blown pieces. As to carved cameo glass, they made sublime things. See the Portland vase. A recent project to make a true copy ran into huge issues trying to copy it.

These people are amazing about researching and reproducing it: http://www.theglassmakers.co.uk/archiveromanglassmakers/

This image, from their website, shows a glory hole which isn't much different from quite recent ones.

 

Sure, I know about the Portland vase. I either was totally mis-remembering, or perhaps thinking of a much earlier period. The piece I was thinking of basically the answer was "it can't be as old as you think, that date would place it before the invention of glass-blowing."

 

Thanks so much for this information and the recommendation of that fantastic website. Incredible how many films and shows Taylor and Hill have made glass for. Invaluable resources to ancient glass.

Any idea as to whether the first vessel listed above is old and if so, any idea of the period?

 

It's old, I suspect, but not Roman. Roman glass was copied for centuries after. My gut thinks yours is a few hundred years old, but it's tricky to say. I always want to handle things!

 

Amphorae were large ceramic jars (not glass). The term is used both for elaborately decorated forms, as well as for utilitarian jars used to transport commodities throughout the Roman empire.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphora

The technique of glass blowing was developed about 50BC, probably in the region of present day Syria, and has been used to produce a variety of forms ever since.
https://www.cmog.org/article/glass-romans
https://www.christies.com/features/roman-glass-collecting-guide-12077-1.aspx?sc_lang=en

Trying to collect antiquities is treacherous for the uninformed. Copies made for tourists, recreations, and deliberate fakes are more common than genuine objects. I would recommend that you visit museums with relevant collections, to educate your eye as to what the real things look like. The Corning Museum of Glass has quite a few publications on ancient glassworking that would be helpful.