Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 0886
Roman Blue Glass and Stone Bead Necklace String
1ST-4TH CENTURY A.D. AND LATER
16 1/8 in. (21 grams, 41 cm).
Composed of variously shaped beads, central feature composed of tabular, annular, and ellipsoid beads; restrung. [No Reserve]
Provenance
From the London, UK, art market in the 1990s.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Literature
Cf. for similar necklaces in blue glass Johns, C., The Jewellery of Roman Britain, Celtic and Classical Traditions, London, 1996, p.100.
Footnotes
Such necklaces testify to the popularity of glass ornaments across the Roman Empire. Roman jewellery at first followed trends set by the Etruscans, using gold and glass beads, but with the extension of the Empire and the adoption of different styles from Greece, Egypt and North Africa, jewellery designs became increasingly various and elaborate. Each bead of this beautiful necklace is unique in shape, lustre and speckling, creating a mosaic-like impression. Blue glass beads can be grouped into opaque mid-blue and deep translucent cobalt blue types.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine 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.
RELATED LOTS
-
Terracotta Forger's Casting Mould
4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £364
Discoid clay mould with impressed design of a coin to each face. 3.46 grams, 24 mm
From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Roman Black Glass Bead Necklace String
4th century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £39
A designer necklace string composed of alternating oblate and barrel-shaped beads; central feature composed of larger beads including a conical and an annular bead, restrung. 13.7 grams, 31 cm
From the London, UK, art market in the 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
In the Roman period there was a strong formal and chromatic diversity of glass beads used for necklaces and bracelets. The most common beads in forms were small biconical (lenticular), barrel-shaped, spherical and annular; the most common colours were dark blue, followed by green and yellow. The succession of glass beads often imitates jewellery made of costly materials (gold, silver, semi-precious and precious stones). Green, blue-green, blue, yellow, and black drawn and rounded glass beads (like here) are late Roman types. -
Roman Bronze Artefact Collection
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Including a fishing hook, needles and other items. 15.8 grams total, 50-85 mm
Found near Feltwell, Norfolk, UK. From the private collection of Kenneth Machin (1936-2020), Buckinghamshire, UK; his collection of antiquities and natural history was formed since 1948; thence by descent. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
