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LOT 0887
Roman Ochre Glass Bead Necklace String
1ST-4TH CENTURY A.D. AND LATER
16 1/2 in. (9.16 grams, 42 cm).
Composed mainly of long tubular beads; restrung. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom the London, UK, art market in the 1990s.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
For example of similar yellow Roman beads see Then-Obluska, J., ‘Beads and pendants from the Hellenistic to early Byzantine Red Sea port of Berenike, Egypt, Seasons 2014 and 2015’ in Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean, 27/1, 2018, pp.203–234, figs.8, 9b,10a,12b.
FootnotesIn the Roman period there was a strong formal and chromatic diversity of glass beads used for necklaces and bracelets. The most common beads in forms were small biconical (lenticular), barrel-shaped, spherical and annular; the most common colours were dark blue, followed by green and yellow. The succession of glass beads often imitates jewellery made of costly materials (gold, silver, semi-precious and precious stones).
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 Terracotta Oil Lamp with Slave Holding an Amphora
2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £390
Discoid in plan with broad D-shaped nozzle, loop handle, discus with low-relief image of a servus wearing a kilt supporting an amphora; maker's mark to underside '[....]VST'. 84 grams, 10.8 cm
From the private collection of a Canadian gentleman living in Essex, UK, formed since the 1920s-circa 1990. Property of an Essex lady until the late 1990s; thence by descent. From the private collection of an Essex gentleman since the late 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
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. -
Roman Highly Iridescent Glass Flask
1st-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £338
With piriform body, narrow dimpled base, tubular neck with pinched and everted rolled rim. 72 grams, 17.5 cm
Ex Mayfair, London, UK, gallery, 1990s-2000s. From an important collection of glass, the property of a London gentleman. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Roman Light Blue Glass and Stone Bead Necklace String
1st-4th century A.D. and laterSold for (Inc. bp): £20
Composed of graduated beads with larger beads as a central feature; restrung. 15.1 grams, 42 cm
From the London, UK, art market in the 1990s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Such necklaces testify to the popularity of glass ornaments across the Roman Empire. Roman jewellery at first followed trends set by the Etruscans, using gold and glass beads, but with the extension of the Empire and the adoption of different styles from Greece, Egypt and North Africa, jewellery designs became increasingly various and elaborate. Each bead of this beautiful necklace is unique in shape, lustre and speckling, creating a mosaic-like impression. Blue glass beads can be grouped into opaque mid-blue and deep translucent cobalt blue types.
