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LOT 0601
Roman Green Glass Bowl
150-50 B.C.
5 in. (280 grams, 12.8 cm wide).
Hemispherical body with a wheel-cut decoration on the inside rim.
ProvenanceFrom an important London, UK, collection 1980-2020.
LiteratureCf. Antonaras, A., Ancient Glass in the J.Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, 2025, p.84, no.61, for the type of grooved bowl.
FootnotesSuch bowls were mainly produced in the Eastern Mediterranean and diffused in Rome since the 2nd century B.C., when the sea was becoming a Mare Nostrum for the Res Publica. They were characterised by a hemispherical body with a round and convex bottom, but especially by concentric circular grooves.
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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Roman Black Glass and Other Bead Necklace String
1st-4th century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £39
Composed of small beads interspersed with larger oblate and other beads, the central feature composed of larger beads; restrung. 9.8 grams, 33 cm
Acquired in the 1990s. Ex London, UK, collection. -
Roman Terracotta Bullae, Tesserae or Token Group
3rd century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £312
A mixed group of ceramic bullae, tesserae or theatre tokens bearing low-relief motifs, mainly consisting of profile busts of deities. 37.4 grams total, 17-20 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
The term 'tessera' was used in Roman times to convey the Greek term σύμβολον (token). Small tiles are known as tokens, often shaped like coins, made of metal (copper, lead, iron), clay, bone, wood, or glass, stamped as well as engraved. The tokens, however, are not exclusively coin-shaped, as the Latin term 'tessera' refers to a four-sided shape. Tokens and tesserae seem to have been used both in Athens and Rome for the distribution of goods. According to written sources, the term ‘token’ is identified with credentials of the official authorities. They have also been interpreted as tokens of identity, as entrance tickets to theatre performances, tribunals or assemblies of citizens, archival material of seal engraving, as pawns in games, Charon’s obols and even as amulets. -
Roman Terracotta Oil Lamp with Foliate Decoration
Circa 3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
Discoid lamp with low-relief decoration on the shoulder, concentric circles on the base. 42 grams, 81 mm
From the collection of a Cambridge, UK, gentleman, by direct descent from his father, who acquired the items in London in circa 1960.
