Young Collectors Auction of Ancient & Asian Art Sale No: 1951
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A TALL ROMAN GLASS UNGENTARIUM Roman Imperial Period, ca. 1st century AD Lot No: 137 Culture: Dimensions: Medium:
Roman Height: 5 7/8 in (15 cm) Glass
This graceful bottle is a wonderful example of Roman glass. The glass itself is of a sea green hue, and is partially covered with iridescence and encrustation. The body of the glass is globular; the neck is tall, straight and slender, with a thickened out-turned rim. This bottle was formed by free-blowing, a process by which molten glass is inflated and then fashioned into a vessel by the artisan without the aid of mold. Thanks to the simplicity of its structure, vessels of this type are considered to be among the very first forms the glass makers learned to blow: for, the introduction of the glass blowing technique was an important and progressive technological revolution which took place about the mid -1st century BC in the Syro-Palestinian region from where it spread rapidly all around the Mediterranean. For a related example see: Susan H. Auth "Ancient Glass at the Newark Museum from the Eugene Schaefer collection" (1976) Page 213, #417- 50.1690. and Hayes J., "Roman and Pre-Roman Glass in the Royal Ontario Museum" (1975) #262-265 Provenance: The William R. Crawford collection of Ancient Glass and Antiquities, acquired from the European trade in the 1950's and then by descent.
Estimate:
Page: 73 of 245
$1,000 - $1,500