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LOT 0145
Roman Glass Vessel with Iridescence
4TH-5TH CENTURY A.D.
2 7/8 in. (59.8 grams, 73 mm wide).
Squat body with a short trumpet-shaped neck with rolled rim, applied openwork gallery encircling the neck.
ProvenanceFrom an important London, UK, collection 1980-2020.
LiteratureCf. Lightfoot, C.S., Ancient Glass in National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh, 2007, item 321.
FootnotesSuch jars, with applied trails, are commonly found in the Near East and Egypt. One trail was wound once horizontally around the undercurve of the mouth; another was applied in a large pad to shoulder and then formed into wavy zigzag patterns.
CONDITIONTimeLine 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:
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LOT 0145
Roman Glass Vessel with Iridescence
Estimate £400 - 600€460 - 700 (for guidance only)$540 - 810 (for guidance only)
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Large Roman Horse Harness Pendant
2nd-4th century A.D.Estimate: £60 - 80 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Heart-shaped pendant with large suspension loop and a knopped finial, concentric circle decoration around a central pellet. 58.7 grams, 11.4 cm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Roman Carnelian Gemstone with Faun
2nd-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £60 - 80 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £5
Ellipsoid type with incuse design of a faun advancing with small dorsal tail and garlands round the wrists; supplied with a museum-quality impression. 0.45 grams, 11 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. -
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Very Large Eastern Roman Blue Glass Bottle with Iridescence
2nd-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £1,000
Piriform in profile with a narrow neck and flared mouth with a chamfered rim, dimple base. 949 grams, 29.1 cm
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.
