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LOT 0186
Large Roman Deep Blue Glass Date Flask
1ST CENTURY A.D.
3 1/8 in. (41.7 grams, 80 mm).
Mould-blown with elliptical body, short neck and thick everted rim, with modelled wrinkles imitating the texture of a dried date.
ProvenanceDr Gonik & Me Wirth, Geneva, 1970s.
Private collection, Europe.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate no.12394-226935.
Cf. an identical flask in the Art Institute of Chicago, inventory no.1891.32, in Alexander, K.B., ‘From Plaster to Stone: Ancient Art at the Art Institute of Chicago’ in Manchester, K., Recasting the Past: Collecting and Presenting Antiquities at the Art Institute of Chicago, New Haven, Yale University Press, 2012, p.37; see also Whitehouse, D., Roman Glass in the Corning Museum of Glass, vol.2, New York, 2001, items 519-520-521, for type; see also Stern, E.M., Ancient Glass at the foundation Custodia (Collection Frits Lug) Paris, Archaeologica Traiectina, Groningen, 1977, pp.44-46, for the diffusion of this typology inside the Mediterranean regions.
FootnotesDates were not only a staple of the Mediterranean diet, used to sweeten food and wine, but also a symbol for the New Year and a fruit often given as a gift on the occasion.
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LOT 0186
Large Roman Deep Blue Glass Date Flask
Estimate £1,800 - 2,400€2,090 - 2,780 (for guidance only)$2,430 - 3,240 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£1,000 (EUR 1,160; USD 1,350) ‡+BP*
-
Roman Terracotta Oil Lamp with Rosette
North Africa, circa 2nd-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £60 - 80 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Broad and squat with short nozzle, radiating zigzag motif to the shoulder, rosette to the discus, leaf motif to the base. 145 grams, 12.2 cm
From the deceased estate of a UK private collector, thence by descent to his family. Ex Trevanions Auctioneers & Valuers, Shropshire, UK. -
Late Roman Terracotta Dish with Geometric Design
Circa 5th-6th century A.D.Estimate: £80 - 100 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Low in profile with stepped sidewall and square rim; central moulded spiral within concentric bands of radiating bars. 375 grams, 18.7 cm wide
Ex J.R. collection, Netherlands, since before 2000. Private collection, Europe, acquired from the above. -
Roman Fresco Wall Plaster Collection
1st century A.D.Estimate: £50 - 70 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Fragments of wall plaster with rendered surface painted with mainly Pompeii red, pale blue, brown and white detailing; some with an impression of timber laths to the reverse. 1.18 kg total, 6.5-14.8 cm
Acquired in the 19th century. Ex Jeger collection, Switzerland. UK gallery, early 2000s.
These small fragments, by analogy with the fragments of Pompeii, seem to belong to the second style of Roman painting - red panels representing highlight and shadow, decorated with vegetal interlaces. A red grenade fillet probably framed some panels. A fragment shows alternate blue and red colours over a cream background, maybe pertinent to a socle.
