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LOT 0224
Byzantine Mould-Blown Octagonal Green Glass Jug
5TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
6 5/8 in. (138 grams, 16.7 cm).
Featuring an octagonal body with a flattened shoulder and a cylindrical neck with a funnel-shaped mouth and a folded rim, a tooled single handle drawn up and outward from the shoulder to the rim, the sides mould-blown and displaying four types of lozenge motifs, each repeated twice, a concave base with a six-petalled flower with a pontil mark at the centre.
ProvenanceEx Mayfair, London, UK, gallery, 1990s-2000s.
From an important collection of glass, the property of a London gentleman.
Roman glass from an important London collection, acquired from the early 1980s.
Accompanied by a typed previous catalogue information page with provenance.
Cf. Lightfoot, C.S., The Cesnola Collection of Cypriot Art: Ancient Glass, New York, 2017, pp.64-65, cat.37, for a very similar jug.
FootnotesHexagonal and octagonal jars or jugs, decorated with Christian or Jewish symbols or neutral geometric patterns, were mass-produced in moulds for the pilgrims visiting the Holy Land during the Late Roman Empire. These “pilgrim vessels” are also recorded from Cyprus, an island that was on the sea route that brought pilgrims to and from Jerusalem.
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LOT 0224
Byzantine Mould-Blown Octagonal Green Glass Jug
Estimate £1,500 - 2,000€1,740 - 2,320 (for guidance only)$2,030 - 2,700 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£750 (EUR 870; USD 1,013) +BP*
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Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Estimate: £70 - 90 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Bulbous body with rounded base and domed filler hole; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 619 grams, 12.8 cm
Ex important collection of weaponry, London, UK, 1980-1990s. Accompanied by an academic paper by military specialist Dr Raffaele D'Amato, dated 15 July 2019 and titled 'Eastern Roman Empire - Greek Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade (μεσαίον kακάβιον) 9th-11th century AD'.
Apart from the use of siphons or manual flame-throwers called cheirosiphona, special corps of Roman soldiers employed terracotta grenades, in the form of small jars, abundantly evidenced in archaeological excavations. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια, where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form. -
Byzantine Silver Merchant's Ring with Monogram
Circa 6th-7th century A.D.Estimate: £400 - 600 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £200
With D-section hoop and flat ellipsoid bezel, incuse complex monogram including crosses potent, omega, rho, epsilon and other characters. 3.88 grams, 23.33 mm overall, 18.75 x 20.20 mm internal diameter (approximate size British T, USA 9 1/2, Europe 21.26, Japan 20)
Private collection, 1980s. Acquired on the UK art market. Private collection, London, UK. -
Byzantine Gold Ring with Carnelian Gemstone with Cross
Circa 6th century A.D.Estimate: £1,000 - 1,400 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £500
Round-section hoop with ellipsoid cell to the bezel flanked by granule clusters; inset carnelian cloison with incised cross potent, 'A' at the foot and profile bust. 1.97 grams, 21.42 mm overall, 17.65 mm internal diameter (approximate size British L 1/2, USA 6, Europe 11.87, Japan 11)
Private collection of Kal Noselson, New York, acquired between 1976 and the late 1990s; thence by descent.
