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LOT 0175
Very Large Roman Pale Green Glass Pinecone Flask
CIRCA 1ST CENTURY A.D.
4 in. (77 grams, 10.3 cm).
Featuring a long neck with a rounded, flattened rim and an oval body; the relief decoration on the body consisting of small, tightly packed knops.
ProvenanceEx J. Lawton collection, UK, 1990-2010.
Roman glass from an important London collection, acquired from the early 1980s.
Accompanied by a previous typed catalogue information page with provenance.
Cf. Antonaras, A., Ancient Glass in the J.Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, 2025, p.192, no.199, for a similar type of pine-cone flask.
FootnotesThis typology of pinecone-shaped flasks is typical of the Syro-Palestinian region and was usually produced from the middle to the second half of the 1st century A.D. The type appears in two variants: one with a broken-off rim, and vessels with a folded rim like our specimen.
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 0175
Very Large Roman Pale Green Glass Pinecone Flask
Estimate £1,500 - 2,000€1,740 - 2,320 (for guidance only)$2,030 - 2,700 (for guidance only)
Opening Bid
£650 (EUR 754; USD 878) +BP*
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Twice the Life-Size Roman Bronze Statue Big Toe
1st-4th century A.D.Estimate: £300 - 400 (+bp*)
Opening Bid: £5
Comprising the tip of a big toe with nail detailing; hollow-form. 179 grams, 57 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s. -
Roman Gold Ring with Later Cameo
3rd century A.D. and laterEstimate: £700 - 900 (‡+bp*)
Opening Bid: £365
Elipsoid hoop with expanding rounded shoulders decorated with leaf-shaped and linear motif, insert with a later white stone intaglio with a stylised head in a profile. 3.16 grams, 23.36 mm overall, 16.25 x 12.90 mm internal diameter (approximate size British F 1/2, USA 3, Europe 4.3, Japan 4)
Ex Saeed Motamed (1925-2013), collected between 1953-early 1990s. with Christie's, 22 April 2013, no.25. -
Roman Terracotta Bullae, Tesserae or Token Group
1st century B.C.-3rd 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. 26.6 grams total, 11-22 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.
