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LOT 1254
Roman Iridescent Glass High-Walled Vessel
CIRCA 3RD-4TH CENTURY A.D.
6 1/8 in. (171 grams, 15.6 cm wide).
Tall, sloping walls and a dimpled base; probably cut down from a larger vessel.
ProvenanceFrom an important London, UK, glass collection, formed 1990s onwards.
LiteratureCf. Auth, S.H., Ancient Glass at the Newark Museum, Newark, 1976, p.192, no.290, for a similar bowl; also Filarska, B., Szkla Starozytne (Ancient Glass), vol.II, Warszawa, 1972, II, cat.48, pl.XI,1.
FootnotesThis shape is a variety of hemispherical cups found in various materials and techniques during the first three centuries of the Empire. Clay cups of the same shape have been discovered alongside coins of Augustus in necropolises in Switzerland. An analogous form in glass appears in a cup fragment found at Karanis, Egypt, in a stratum dated to the 3rd century AD. The type of decoration is characteristic of the Syrian production centre during the 3rd century AD.
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LOT 1254
Roman Iridescent Glass High-Walled Vessel
Estimate £500 - 700€580 - 810 (for guidance only)$680 - 950 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£250 (EUR 290; USD 338) +BP*
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Roman Terracotta Bullae, Tesserae or Token Group
3rd century B.C.-1st century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Bids: 1 | Current Bid: £5
A mixed group of ceramic bullae, tesserae or theatre tokens bearing low-relief motifs, mainly consisting of profile busts of deities. 32.6 grams total, 13-22 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' suggests by etymologically referring to a square or at least a four-sided shape and confirmed in several cases by material remains of the past. 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 Carnelian Gemstone with Fly
2nd-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £60 - 80 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Oval intaglio with a fly or another flying insect with detailed eyes and wings, and two pairs of legs. 0.50 grams, 11 mm
From the estate of a late collector, Woodbury, Connecticut, USA. From a private collection acquired in 2006. -
Roman Silver Ring with Apollo Gemstone
Circa 2nd-3rd century A.D.Estimate: £200 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £100
D-section hoop with expanding shoulders, red stone intaglio with an altar and a nude male figure holding a branch. 10.88 grams, 24.12 mm overall, 18.25 x 15.48 mm internal diameter (approximate size British J 1/2, USA 5, Europe 9.32, Japan 9)
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of a Surrey, UK, gentleman.
