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LOT 0135
Roman Deep Blue Glass Date Flask
1ST CENTURY A.D.
3 1/8 in. (41.7 grams, 80 mm).
Mould-blown with elliptical body, short neck and thick everted rim, with modelled wrinkles imitating the texture of a dried date.
ProvenanceDr Gonik & Me Wirth, Geneva, 1970s.
Private collection, Europe.
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 a search certificate number no.12394-226935.
This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. an identical flask in the Art Institute of Chicago, inventory no.1891.32, in Alexander, K.B., ‘From Plaster to Stone: Ancient Art at the Art Institute of Chicago’ in Manchester, K., Recasting the Past: Collecting and Presenting Antiquities at the Art Institute of Chicago, New Haven, Yale University Press, 2012, p.37; see also Whitehouse, D., Roman Glass in the Corning Museum of Glass, vol.2, New York, 2001, items 519-520-521, for type; see also Stern, E.M., Ancient Glass at the foundation Custodia (Collection Frits Lug) Paris, Archaeologica Traiectina, Groningen, 1977, pp.44-46, for the diffusion of this typology inside the Mediterranean regions.
FootnotesDates were not only a staple of the Mediterranean diet, used to sweeten food and wine, but also a symbol for the New Year and a fruit often given as a gift on the occasion.
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LOT 0135
Roman Deep Blue Glass Date Flask
Estimate £3,000 - 4,000€3,480 - 4,640 (for guidance only)$4,050 - 5,400 (for guidance only)
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Over Life-Sized Roman Marble Head of a Tetrarch
3rd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £9,100
Carved in the round with stern facial features, short curly hair and beard with light moustache; the broad brow modelled with characterful creasing, the eyebrows slightly drooping and eyes deep-set, the nose angular and small pinched mouth; possibly an emperor or a tetrarch; possibly retouched in places. 26.5 kg, 27 cm high
Private collection, Europe. Acquired on the European art market, 2002. Private Swiss collection. 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 a search certificate number no.12574-232106. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The portrait, for style and artistic structure, can be compared with the ones of Diocletian and his colleague Maximianus Herculius, and with most of the emperors of the so-called Tetrarchic Period. Like in the portrait of Diocletian and Maximianus, this military man is portrayed with bags under his eyes and with a harsh facial expression. The wrinkles on his forehead and around his mouth show the feelings of a man engaged in difficult times. Stylistically the face presents affinity with the portrait of Diocletian or Maximianus Herculius at the Uffizi (inv.242), some elements also recall the portrait of Decius at the Musei Capitolini (inv.482). We can therefore date the artwork in the period between the second half of the 3rd century and the first decade of the 4th century A.D. -
Large Roman Bone Dice Pair
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £312
Each cuboid with incised ring-and-dot markings disposed 1:6, 2:3, 4:5. 13.5 grams total, 15-16 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Roman Gold Pendant with Garnet
1st-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £286
Polished garnet cabochon set in a conical sleeve with loop above and applied collar below. 0.5 grams, 11 mm
Ex property of a late Japanese collector, 1970-2000s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
