LOT 0193

Large Roman 'The Sangiorgi' Pale Green Glass Cinerary Urn

3RD-1ST CENTURY B.C.

11 5/8 in. (823 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.

Ex Sangiorgi collection, acquired in the 19th century.
with Christie's, 3 June 1999, no.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, no.476.
American private collection, Westchester, New York, acquired in 1999.
with Bonhams, London, 30 September 2015, no.91.
Private collection, UK.

This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13132-248966.

Cf. The Metropolitan Museum, New York, accession number 81.10.8, for similar example; cf. a very similar example with lid, discovered in the Conjunto Arqueologico de Carmona, Carmona (Sevilla), Spain, in Boletín del Museo Arqueologico 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.

A 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 The Romans often reused glass jars, originally made for storing liquids and foodstuffs, as cremation vessels, but this kind of jar seems too fragile and was therefore probably purpose-made.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.