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LOT 0705
Roman Translucent Glass Bottle
1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.
4 1/2 in. (20 grams, 11.5 cm high).
Having piriform-globular body and everted rim, tubular neck and flat base with small kick.
ProvenanceAcquired 1980-2015.
Ex Abelita family collection.
See Whitehouse D., Roman Glass in the Corning Museum of Glass, volume I, New York, 1997, cat.200, for the type.
FootnotesThe bottle seems to belong to the type 13 of the De Tommaso classification, but with a more piriform body. By the 1st century A.D., the technique of glass-blowing revolutionised the art of glass-making and allowed for the production of small medicine, incense, and perfume containers in new forms. Glass unguentaria, bottles and vessels of various shapes were manufactured with blow-pipes, free-blown, or mould-blown, and were prevalent throughout the all the provinces of the huge empire.
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AUCTIONS:
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LOT 0705
Roman Translucent Glass Bottle
Estimate £100 - 140€120 - 160 (for guidance only)$140 - 190 (for guidance only)
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Roman Stone Statuette of a Priest
Circa 3rd-4th century A.D.Estimate: £6,000 - 8,000 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £3,000
Depicted standing on a rounded base with rim, wearing a long-sleeved tunica talaris and pallium; his right hand hidden in the folds of the cloak and the left hand holding the remains of a scroll or sistrum; simple crepida footwear of Greek typology visible beneath the hem of the cloak; provincial workmanship. 11.4 kg, 41.5 cm high
Ex Paris collection. French gallery, Paris, 1990-2000s. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This item has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.11926-209625.
The dress and the posture of the character recalls that of the famous 4th century statue of a Roman priest in the Musée de Cluny (Paris) said by many to be the portrait of Emperor Julian II (361-363 A.D.). It has the same posture, the same garments, a scroll in the left hand, and wears the same Greek-style sandals that denote the characteristic costume of a social class. -
Roman 'Leicestershire' Decorated Redware Sherd Collection
3rd-4th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
All with low-relief vegetal and geometric motifs, one with a standing figure facing right. 169 grams total, 27-65 mm
Acquired from a private collector in 2004. Property of a Nottinghamshire gentleman. -
Roman Lead Sarcophagus Panel with Sphinxes, Dolphins and Masks of Medusa
2nd-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £4,420
Decorated with a high-relief pattern comprising sphinxes, dolphins and masks of Medusa in fields between columns; ropework and floral border strips with laurel leaves. 6.4 kg, 41 cm wide
From a West Sussex, UK, collection, 1990s.
There were many ways of burying bodies during the Roman Empire. Although the majority were buried without coffins, there is evidence for wooden coffins, lead-framed wooden coffins, tile burials and lead and stone coffins. This item belongs to types widespread in the Eastern Mediterranean. The panel is decorated with a columned structure, and within each section are symbols of the outer-world, including gorgons, sphinx and dolphins. The sphinx, having a human head and breasts, legs and paws of a lion, and wings of a bird, was generally associated with protecting imperial tombs and temples. The roundels featuring the head of Medusa, known for her potent gazes that could turn one to stone, was favoured on sarcophagi and architectural ornaments because it was believed that her image would protect those within. The dolphin was considered to ferry the souls of the dead to the afterlife. Very often these sarcophagi were connected by a pipe to the ground above so that mourners could pour in offerings into the grave.
