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LOT 0073
Large Roman Pale Green Glass Cinerary Urn
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
11 5/8 in. (831 grams total, 29.5 cm high).
Of piriform shape with everted rim, gently chamfered upper lip and concave underside; lid with bevelled rim, gently dished upper face rising to a central dome and cylindrical handle with piecrust pleats; iridescent surfaces.
ProvenanceEx Sangiorgi collection, acquired in the 19th century.
with Christie's, 3 June 1999, lot 121.
The remains of a 19th/early 20th century label can be seen on the glass on one side.
with Christie's, New York, 9 December 1999, lot 476.
American private collection, Westchester, New York, acquired in 1999.
with Bonhams, London, 30 September 2015, lot 91.
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 search certificate no.203222.
Cf. The Metropolitan Museum, New York, accession number 81.10.8, for similar; cf. a very similar example with lid, discovered in the Conjunto Arqueológico de Carmona, Carmona (Sevilla), Spain, in Boletín del Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid, IX,1991, figs.1-14; cf. The British Museum, museum number 1993,0102.11, for similar; cf. The Corning Museum of Glass, accession number 70.1.44, for similar. cf. also Metropolitan Museum of Art Twelfth Annual Report of the Trustees of the Association for eight months ending December 31, New York, 1881, pp.215-216.
FootnotesA similar jar in the British Museum was found in Warwick Square, London, inside a lead canister, and was originally filled with bone ashes. The Romans often re-used glass jars, originally made for storing liquids and foodstuffs, as cremation vessels, but this kind of jar seems too fragile and was therefore probably purpose-made. The lead canister, which was found with the jar from London, protected the glass and bones.
Georgio Sangiorgi is one of the most famous names associated with the field of ancient glass collecting. Working from the Galleria Sangiorgi in the Palazzo Borghese, Sangiorgi acquired the most magnificent collection of ancient glass, seeking only the finest examples.
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Roman Ceramic Military Cremation Face Urn
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £455
For the deposition of ashes (absent), with bulbous body, everted rim and discoid foot, a stylised human face to the upper body expressed with three circular holes for the eyes and mouth, pinched nose in high-relief and raised eyebrows; repaired. 5.13 kg, 34 cm wide
Acquired 1960s-1990s. Late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister.
Cremation was the usual burial practice in early Roman Britain and whilst it was common for larger ceramic or glass domestic vessels to be reused as cinerary urns, this particular type was created specifically for the purpose and was strongly associated with military contexts in Britain. After death, an individual would have been cremated on a pyre, the ashes gathered once the fire had gone out, and finally placed into the pot. The pot may then have been placed into a small 'tile tomb' buried beneath the ground. The face clearly has symbolic meaning; it may represent the deceased or a god, or may have served an apotropaic function, intended to ward-off evil spirits. The exact meaning of the face would have been clearer when the vessel was in situ alongside other associated burial goods. Although there are similarities in style across the known sample of Roman face pots, each is unique in some way. Face pot finds are concentrated in Colchester in Britain, suggesting a military association, since Camulodunum, 'The 'Fortress of the War God Camulos', was the capital of Roman Britain and Britain's first city. A more robust military connection was established by the archaeologist Gillian Braithwaite, whose survey of thousands of face pot sherds demonstrated that their occurrence spread rapidly though the Roman Empire, from the Black Sea, to Spain, the Mediterranean and Scotland. Braithwaite was able to link the pots to the Roman army and thus explain this phenomenon; as the units moved from province to province, face pots occurred in that region for the first time. The frequency of complete face pots suggests their use as cremation urns. -
Roman Silver Ring with Gemstone
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £156
Hoop with angled shoulders with fluting; inset with a polished and chipped agate stone; setting damaged. 33.07 grams, 33.29 mm overall, 18.64 mm internal diameter (approximate size British K 1/2, USA 5 1/2, Europe 10.58, Japan 10)
Private collection, Germany, 1970s. Acquired 2009. -
Roman Bronze Pan with Handle
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £833
The bowl with a wide flat bottom and convex sides; the inside with incised concentric circles; flat handle with raised edges and hooked finial for suspension. 483 grams, 39.5 cm
German private collection, Mr O., collecting in the 1950s-1960s; thence by descent. with Bonhams, London, 7 July 2016, lot 191. 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 search certificate number no.11735-201189.
This vessel was part of Roman and provincial bronze instrumentum domesticum, i.e. culinary or domestic utility ware. Such cooking vessels are rare: some are found in central and northern Italy, in Pannonia, Germany and in Britain. The Aylesford Pan, today in the British Museum (inventory no.1886.1112.1), is one of the most important finds. This specimen (Eggers type 130), probably pre-Caesarian or Caesarian, was found in a grave together with a Celtic bucket and a jug.
