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LOT 1298
Roman Iridescent Glass Vessel
CIRCA 1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
4 5/8 in. (40 grams, 11.8 cm).
Cylindrical body with a slightly concave base, short tubular neck with an everted rim.
ProvenanceRoman glass from an important London collection, acquired from the early 1980s.
LiteratureCf. Lightfoot, C.S., The Cesnola Collection of Cypriot Art: Ancient Glass, New York, 2017, p.207, cat.275, for the type.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 1298
Roman Iridescent Glass Vessel
Estimate £120 - 170€140 - 200 (for guidance only)$160 - 230 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£60 (EUR 70; USD 81) +BP*
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Roman Terracotta Oil Lamp with Figure Carrying an Amphora
2nd century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 300 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Shallow discus with an advancing figure in profile supporting an amphora, wide shoulder, ribbed lug handle to the rear, stamped 'MNOVIVST' maker's mark to the underside. 53.1 grams, 10.5 cm
From the private collection of Peter Clayton, FCILIP, Dip, Arch, FSA, FRNS, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK; formed since the late 1950s.
The lamp belongs to the Bussière type, form D I 3, from a period between the Late Flavian era to the second half of the second century A.D. Like the types of this category, the ring handle shows two grooves on the upper part and the filling hole is in the lower part. -
Roman Terracotta Coin Forger's Mould
Circa 3rd-4th century A.D.Estimate: £50 - 70 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Discoid clay mould with an impressed design of a coin on each face, one side with a radiate profile bust. 4.26 grams, 28 mm
London gentleman's collection, 1970-1990s, by descent. -
Roman Terracotta Bullae, Tesserae or Token Group
3rd century B.C.-1st century A.D.Estimate: £100 - 140 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
A mixed group of ceramic bullae, tesserae or theatre tokens bearing low-relief motifs, mainly consisting of profile busts of deities. 30 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.
