A FINE ROMAN BLUE AND GOLD GLASS BEAD NECKLACE, PTOLEMAIC PERIOD-ROMAN PERIOD, CIRCA 2ND CENTURY
A FINE ROMAN BLUE AND GOLD GLASS BEAD NECKLACE, PTOLEMAIC PERIOD-ROMAN PERIOD, CIRCA 2ND CENTURY BC-2ND CENTURY AD
Roman Empire. Finely assembled, the necklace composed of alternating gold-glass spool-shaped beads with deep blue glass spherical beads, centered by a larger globular gold-glass bead.
Provenance: The private collection of Lloyd and Jeanne Raport, Washington DC and Florida, USA, acquired between 1972-2000. Lloyd and Jeanne Raport (1928-2025) were collectors of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian antiquities whose interest in ancient art developed during the 1960s. Largely self-taught, they studied auction catalogues and reference works extensively and formed a close friendship with archaeologist Dr. Gus W. Van Beek (1922-2012), curator of Old World Archaeology at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. Their interest in archaeology also led them to participate in a Smithsonian excavation at Tell Jemmeh in the Negev Desert, Israel. Over several decades, the Raports assembled a substantial collection while also becoming generous supporters of museums and universities. Beginning in 1984, they donated works to numerous institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Walters Art Museum, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Brooklyn Museum. The University of Maryland received more than 130 antiquities from the Raport Collection, forming an important study collection for teaching and research.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Expected wear and weathering, some beads with minor chips, nicks, cracks, surface flaking, encrustations. The beads restrung with a modern white cord and fitted with a modern metal clasp.
Weight: 19 g
Dimensions: Length 46.5 cm
Gold-glass beads were a particularly luxurious form of ancient glass jewelry, produced by enclosing a thin layer of gold foil between layers of glass, thereby combining the brilliance of precious metal with the translucency and durability of glass. The technique was developed in the Hellenistic world and was subsequently refined and widely employed by Roman glassmakers, especially for beads and personal ornaments.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related string of gold-glass beads, Ptolemaic Period-Roman Period, circa 2nd century BC-2nd century AD, 48.3 cm long, from Egypt, in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, object no. 10.130.3227. Compare a closely related spool-shaped gold-glass bead, Egypt, Ptolemaic-Roman Period, 100 BC-200 AD, 1.4 cm long, in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, object no. 10.130.3226.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 11 December 2014, lot 276
Price: USD 4,750 or approx. EUR 6,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Roman gold-glass bead necklace, circa 1st-2nd century AD
Expert remark: Compare the closely related dating, gold-glass technique, and globular bead forms. Note the similar size (44 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 5 December 2001, lot 102
Price: USD 4,112 or approx. EUR 6,900 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Roman glass bead necklace, circa 1st-2nd century AD
Expert remark: Compare the closely related dating and combination of spherical gold-glass beads with contrasting blue disc-shaped glass beads. Note the larger size (66 cm).
A FINE ROMAN BLUE AND GOLD GLASS BEAD NECKLACE, PTOLEMAIC PERIOD-ROMAN PERIOD, CIRCA 2ND CENTURY BC-2ND CENTURY AD
Roman Empire. Finely assembled, the necklace composed of alternating gold-glass spool-shaped beads with deep blue glass spherical beads, centered by a larger globular gold-glass bead.
Provenance: The private collection of Lloyd and Jeanne Raport, Washington DC and Florida, USA, acquired between 1972-2000. Lloyd and Jeanne Raport (1928-2025) were collectors of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian antiquities whose interest in ancient art developed during the 1960s. Largely self-taught, they studied auction catalogues and reference works extensively and formed a close friendship with archaeologist Dr. Gus W. Van Beek (1922-2012), curator of Old World Archaeology at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History. Their interest in archaeology also led them to participate in a Smithsonian excavation at Tell Jemmeh in the Negev Desert, Israel. Over several decades, the Raports assembled a substantial collection while also becoming generous supporters of museums and universities. Beginning in 1984, they donated works to numerous institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Walters Art Museum, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and the Brooklyn Museum. The University of Maryland received more than 130 antiquities from the Raport Collection, forming an important study collection for teaching and research.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Expected wear and weathering, some beads with minor chips, nicks, cracks, surface flaking, encrustations. The beads restrung with a modern white cord and fitted with a modern metal clasp.
Weight: 19 g
Dimensions: Length 46.5 cm
Gold-glass beads were a particularly luxurious form of ancient glass jewelry, produced by enclosing a thin layer of gold foil between layers of glass, thereby combining the brilliance of precious metal with the translucency and durability of glass. The technique was developed in the Hellenistic world and was subsequently refined and widely employed by Roman glassmakers, especially for beads and personal ornaments.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related string of gold-glass beads, Ptolemaic Period-Roman Period, circa 2nd century BC-2nd century AD, 48.3 cm long, from Egypt, in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, object no. 10.130.3227. Compare a closely related spool-shaped gold-glass bead, Egypt, Ptolemaic-Roman Period, 100 BC-200 AD, 1.4 cm long, in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, object no. 10.130.3226.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 11 December 2014, lot 276
Price: USD 4,750 or approx. EUR 6,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Roman gold-glass bead necklace, circa 1st-2nd century AD
Expert remark: Compare the closely related dating, gold-glass technique, and globular bead forms. Note the similar size (44 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 5 December 2001, lot 102
Price: USD 4,112 or approx. EUR 6,900 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Roman glass bead necklace, circa 1st-2nd century AD
Expert remark: Compare the closely related dating and combination of spherical gold-glass beads with contrasting blue disc-shaped glass beads. Note the larger size (66 cm).
