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LOT 0721
Roman Byzantine and Islamic Glass Vessel Collection
1ST CENTURY A.D. AND LATER
1 1/2 - 3 3/4 in. (387 grams total, 40-97 mm).
A group of eight glass vessels from the Roman, Byzantine and Islamic civilisations, of various types and dates: a pale green bulbous jar with a flared neck and rim, blobs to the neck and shoulder; a green bottle with waisted cylindrical body and short neck decorated with raised vertical ribs and hatching; a miniature piriform green bottle with globular foot and slightly flared neck; a clear glass miniature bottle of squat form, with a tubular neck and remains of iridescence to the internal surface; a pale green bottle with a squat body, long tubular neck and everted rim; a piriform green bottle with high shoulder and rounded base, tubular neck; a barrel-shaped pale blue vessel with inverted rim; an amber-brown coloured vessel of carinated form, wheel-cit bands to the equator and rim. [8, No Reserve]
ProvenanceAcquired 1960s-1990s.
From the late Alison Barker collection, a retired London barrister.
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AUCTIONS:
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Roman Turquoise Glass Pyxis
1st-4th century A.D.Estimate: £500 - 700 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £250
A vibrant green-blue glass pyxis with a broadly barrel-shaped body, everted foot and shoulder, domed inverted neck; areas of iridescence; repaired. 42 grams, 85 mm high
Acquired early 1990s. Ex private American collection; thence by descent. Private collection since 1998.
Originally used principally by women to hold cosmetics, jewellery or even poisonous substances, some pyxides have even been identified as ink pots. Most surviving examples are Green terracotta examples. -
Roman Silver Folding 'Travel' Spoon
Circa 4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £494
A short silver spoon with shallow piriform bowl, raised neck with movable pinned hinge attached to the hexagonal-section handle and shortened polyhedral knob finial, allowing the handle to be folded into the bowl. 28 grams, 11.2 cm long
Early 1990s London collection. Acquired on the UK art market. From a private collection, Lancashire, UK.
As today, the spoon was used as a measure for dosage in ancient times. Both the cochlear and the ligula could have been used to measure different quantities, particularly in the practice of medicine and in the kitchen. Isidore (Origines, XVI, 26.3) tells us that the cochlear was the smallest unit size and was worth half a drachma. -
Roman Marble Head of a Young Woman
2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £16,900
A skilfully carved life-size marble head of a female (possibly Artemis, a Muse or an Amazon) with centrally parted hair composed of wavy strands and tied in a ponytail at the back; serene facial expression, almond-shaped eyes and small mouth with slightly parted lips; some restoration; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 14 kg total, 38 cm high including stand
Ex private collection, Monaco, 1960s-1970s. Acquired from the Monaco Fine Arts on 4th November 1992. Private collection of Mr & Mrs Daniel, Monaco. Acquired by the present owner from David Aaron Gallery in 2019. 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 searcher certificate number no.11569-197722.
The youthful head seems to be based on the Greek Attic Artemis Colonna type of the 4th century B.C. The composition of the head is powerful with a serene countenance, its physiognomy replete with the idealised quality characteristic of Greek classical sculpture. This classic influence is best seen in the perfect almond- shaped eyes with their sharply carved lids as well as the smooth contour of the face. The rich handling of the coiffure and the smooth quality of the face can suggest a date sometime during the Hadrianic (117 to 138 A.D.) or early Antonine periods.
