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LOT 0802
Roman Iridescent Glass Flask
CIRCA 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
4 in. (34 grams, 10 cm).
Core-formed with a slightly dimpled base, broad shoulder and narrow neck, mouth with a rolled and everted rim.
ProvenanceFrom a London, UK, collection of glass, 1970-2000s.
LiteratureCf. British Museum reference number 899,1229.6, for a vessel of similar form.
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 0802
Roman Iridescent Glass Flask
Estimate £120 - 170€140 - 200 (for guidance only)$160 - 230 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£67 (EUR 77; USD 90) +BP*
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Roman and Later Gemstone Collection
Circa 2nd-3rd century A.D. and laterEstimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Bids: 2 | Current Bid: £10
Comprising ten stone and glass intaglios and cabochons, including two with a female bust, one with a male bust, one with a cross, and others; one repaired. 6.24 grams total, 10-15 mm
Acquired on UK art market. Property of a Middlesex gentleman. -
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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. -
Roman Tinned Bronze Cochlear Spoon
Circa 2nd-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £60 - 80 (+bp*)
Bids: 3 | Current Bid: £5
Featuring a long, pointed handle and a round bowl. 6.91 grams, 13.5 cm
From the private collection of a South London, UK, gentleman, formed since the early 1970s; thence by descent 2006.
