Transparent deep blue bubbly glass; mold-blown, applied, tooled. Form of human head; rim outsplayed, sprung; neck tapers towards bottom, then splays slightly; body in form of youthful head with straight hair cut in fringe across forehead and cut off straight at nape of neck, prominent ears; base consists of thread wound three times to form splayed foot ring; applied wishbone handle attached to lower part of neck, sharply angled with pincered thumb piece, then attached to back of head, drawn down to foot, then notched between lower attachment and bottom.

After the mid-fourth century, glassmaking declined in the Roman Empire. In the east, where the decline was less pronounced, a group of deep blue flasks, pitchers, and lamps with coiled bases was produced. They seem to have been made in a single workshop, but examples have been found as far afield as the Sudan and South Korea. One member of the group is this head flask, which was blown in a two-part mold. The handle was applied to the neck, drawn out and down, and attached to the head. The remaining glass was dragged down to the neck and notched. The thumb-rest at the apex of the handle was made by pinching the hot glass with pincers. Only three other head flasks made from the same mold are known to exist. The Corning flask once belonged to the celebrated operatic tenor Enrico Caruso.