Roman Bone Dice Pair

Formed as two narrow flat-section arms with transverse ribbing, chamfered edges and impressed point ornament. 7.68 grams, 70 mm



From a private Tyneside collection, formed since the early 2000s.

With granules flanking an ellipsoid cell containing an onyx cameo facing bust of a Nubian with dressed hair executed in the half-round. 7.53 grams, 28.75 mm overall, 20.36 mm internal diameter (approximate size British V, USA 10 1/2, Europe 23.77, Japan 22).



Acquired 1970-1990. Ex property of a deceased lady. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12954-246353.

Piriform in profile with a narrow neck and flared mouth with a chamfered rim, dimple base. 945 grams, 29.5 cm high



From the Xavier Guerrand-Hermès private collection. with Artcurial, Paris, 25 March 2014, no.39. 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.12959-245241.

On 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.