Rare Roman Glass Beaker Hand-Painted Figural Scene

Roman, Imperial period, possibly Romano-Egyptian, ca. 2nd century CE. A fabulous beaker free-blown from translucent light green glass and hand-painted with a horizontal band featuring a fascinating, figural scene. Flanked above and below by bands of yellow and red, the central action depicts a youthful male wearing a blue tunic and a green conical cap picking the fruit, likely dates, from a tree; behind a male goat looking backwards at a swaying palm tree and a lady, perhaps Ceres the Roman goddess of agriculture, leaning right. A remarkable example of Roman enameled glassware celebrating the harvest! Size: 3.1" Diameter x 4.1" H (7.9 cm x 10.4 cm)

The painted imagery seen in this example is remarkably similar to that of glass vessels found in the Begram Hoard or the Treasure of Begram. Found in Afghanistan, the Begram Hoard is the largest group of surviving painted or enameled glass from the Roman period and consisted of a deposit of various luxury items in storerooms, probably dating to the 1st to 3rd centuries. It is believed that these vessels were made in Egypt and exported via the Red Sea and Indian Ocean to India and then brought overland to Begram, which was the summer capital of the Kushan Kingdom.

Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA; ex-Goldberg Coins and Collectibles, Los Angeles, California, USA; ex-half-century formed collection of ancient glass from the Holy Land

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#181649
Condition Report: Stable, hairline pressure fissure along base and slight wobble when set on base, but otherwise, intact and excellent with liberal remaining painted detail and rich weathering film to surface.