Roman Sidonian Glass Vessel w/ Impressed Design
Roman Empire, Lebanon, Sidonian, ca. mid 1st to early 2nd century CE. A fine mold blown flask resembling a fruit - perhaps in the date family - with an impressed textured surface - the body of the vessel in gorgeous translucent golden hued glass with hints of aubergine - its generally oblong form with a short neck and a flaring rim of greener tones. Note how the mold was carefully crafted to create the impression of a fruit's wrinkled skin. In addition to its stunning coloring, generous areas of rainbow iridescence cast a mesmerizing glow upon the surface. Size: 3.875" H (9.8 cm); 4.25" H (10.8 cm) on included custom stand.
Here are the ancient encyclopedist Pliny's words as he describes his voyage to Sidon - 'where glass is made': "From this point on we must go back to the coast and to Phoenicia. There was formerly a town called Crocodilian, and there still is a river of that name…Then comes Cape Carmel…Next are Getta, Geba, and the river Pacida or Belus…Close to this river is Ptolemais…Next Tyre, once an island separated from the mainland by a very deep sea-channel 700 yards wide, but now joined to it by the works constructed by Alexander when besieging the place…but the entire renown of Tyre now consists in a shell-fish and a purple dye!…Next are Zarephath and the city of birds (Ornithon oppidum), and Sidon, the mother-city of Thebes in Boeotia where glass is made." (Pliny, Natural History V.75-76, 77-79 CE).
Provenance: ex-private S. Shalom collection, New York, USA, acquired in the 1970s
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#137620
Condition Report: Stabilized crack down one side of the vessel and a smaller fissure on the neck. Rim possibly reattached but almost invisibly reattached. Amazing rainbow iridescence as well as earthen deposits grace the surface.
View it on
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
Roman Empire, Lebanon, Sidonian, ca. mid 1st to early 2nd century CE. A fine mold blown flask resembling a fruit - perhaps in the date family - with an impressed textured surface - the body of the vessel in gorgeous translucent golden hued glass with hints of aubergine - its generally oblong form with a short neck and a flaring rim of greener tones. Note how the mold was carefully crafted to create the impression of a fruit's wrinkled skin. In addition to its stunning coloring, generous areas of rainbow iridescence cast a mesmerizing glow upon the surface. Size: 3.875" H (9.8 cm); 4.25" H (10.8 cm) on included custom stand.
Here are the ancient encyclopedist Pliny's words as he describes his voyage to Sidon - 'where glass is made': "From this point on we must go back to the coast and to Phoenicia. There was formerly a town called Crocodilian, and there still is a river of that name…Then comes Cape Carmel…Next are Getta, Geba, and the river Pacida or Belus…Close to this river is Ptolemais…Next Tyre, once an island separated from the mainland by a very deep sea-channel 700 yards wide, but now joined to it by the works constructed by Alexander when besieging the place…but the entire renown of Tyre now consists in a shell-fish and a purple dye!…Next are Zarephath and the city of birds (Ornithon oppidum), and Sidon, the mother-city of Thebes in Boeotia where glass is made." (Pliny, Natural History V.75-76, 77-79 CE).
Provenance: ex-private S. Shalom collection, New York, USA, acquired in the 1970s
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#137620
Condition Report: Stabilized crack down one side of the vessel and a smaller fissure on the neck. Rim possibly reattached but almost invisibly reattached. Amazing rainbow iridescence as well as earthen deposits grace the surface.
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
