Roman Sidonian Glass Date Bottle - Beautiful Surface

**Originally Listed At $400**

Roman, Near East, Sidon, Lebanon, ca. mid-1st to early 2nd century CE. A fine, mold-blown miniature vessel, comprised of aubergine glass with a stylized date-shaped body, an oblong base, a narrow neck, a flared rim, and textured wrinkly 'skin' characteristic to the fruit. The aubergine-colored glass has aged to an incredible pearlescence over most of its surface, which glitters like gold under light. Size: 1.15" W x 2.55" H (2.9 cm x 6.5 cm)

A Roman glass date flask sold for $2500 at Christie's Sale 15792, Antiquities, New York, 18 April 2018.

For further reading and comparable examples, see no. V-57, Reflection on Ancient Glass from the Borowski Collection. Also see, Toledo, Roman Mold Blown Glass, nos. 84 - 107. The author notes that Phoenicia during the 1st century CE "was famous not only for mold blown glass but for its date palms," and this may have "inspired glass workers in Phoenicia to blow vessels shaped like dates."

Provenance: private Davis collection, Houston, Texas, USA

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#139097
Condition Report: Small losses from around the rim, but otherwise in good condition, with an incredible pearlescence on the surface. No pontil mark, because the vessel was mold-made rather than free blown.