Loading, please wait...
LOT 0119
Greek Iridescent Pale Aqua Glass Bowl
HELLENISTIC, MID 2ND-EARLY 1ST CENTURY B.C.
6 1/4 in. (380 grams, 16 cm wide).
Conical in profile with a rounded apex, aqua glass with three incised bands below the rim on the inner face.
ProvenanceDr Jutaro Kawabe, Nagoya, Japan, his collection formed in the 1960s-1970s.
with Hoshigaoka Gallery until the late 1990s.
Private collection, London, UK.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12949-245243.
Cf. similar bowl in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accession no.81.10.36.
FootnotesOn ancient glass, iridescence is the soft play of colour that develops as the surface ages and becomes silica-rich. Minute layers form over time and break light into shifting blues, greens and golds. It is not a modern finish but something time has drawn out of the material itself, so the pattern and palette are unique to each piece. Collectors prize good, stable iridescence because it lifts the form: ribs read more crisply, profiles glow, and simple vessels take on depth and movement. Museums now tend to preserve these surfaces rather than polish them away, recognising both their beauty and what they tell us about an object’s long life (though it is not, by itself, a dating test). For display, iridescent glass performs brilliantly under gentle, directional light, where the colours “turn” as the vessel is moved. Well-preserved, even iridescence of this quality is not common and adds materially to the presence—and desirability—of the piece.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Daunian Ceramic Bell-Shaped Idol
7th-6th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
A male figure with a bell-shaped lower body painted with horizontal stripes, an applied phallus above; column-like upper body and head with stylised facial features, tall conical headdress. 140 grams, 12.5 cm
Private collection of Mrs R.K., Basel, Switzerland. with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland. -
Greek Bronze Bow Brooch
Circa 7th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £72
Comprising a corrugated bow with coil to each end, one extending to the spring and the other to a broad plate with a catch at the lower end. 11.19 grams, 42.09 mm.
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. -
Monumental Early Etruscan Impasto Kyathos
7th century B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £975
Fluted body tapering to a narrow foot, the shoulders decorated with tiered bosses, short neck with flared mouth; wide handle perforated with a triangle. 1.18 kg, 25 cm wide
Estate of Mr Bruno Fellinger (1926-2016), Küsnacht, Switzerland. with Galerie Rhéa, Zurich, Switzerland. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12648-236390.
Buccheroid impasto is the name attributed by modern archaeologists to wheel thrown pottery. The clay in these specimens is less refined, and the firing techniques less precise than in the later bucchero ware.
