Roman blue glass bowl
€2,150
available
Object number
AR3490-06
| Object: |
Roman cobalt blue glass bowl
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| Material: |
Cobalt blue, transparent glass.
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| Period: |
Mid 1st century AD. Roman Imperial period. |
| Description: |
Small bowl made of beautiful blue glass. The thick walls taper towards the top, the rim is ground. The wall is decorated with two wheel-cut, wide, circumferential grooves near the rim and two finer ones at the bottom. The round base is pressed in at the center and protrudes into the interior of the vessel. In his standard work, Whitehouse lists two manufacturing centers for glass vessels of this type. One variant comes from Cyprus. Finds for the other are concentrated in Aquileia in northern Italy. The Italian type best corresponds to the example offered here. In 1952, Vessberg speculated that such glass bowls were used for storage rather than for drinking. The glass being sold here is said to be a find from the Eastern Mediterranean. Given the complex trade in Roman times, this seems possible and various scenarios are conceivable, for example production in Italy and then export to an eastern Roman province, where the piece was discovered again centuries later. |
| Dimensions: |
6.4cm height. 8.5cm diameter.
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| Condition: |
Very good condition. All original material. One crack in the side wall has been stabilized. Areas of the surface are covered with distinctive and attractive white find encrustations. Modern sticker on the bottom with the inscription "6", the Heckmann collection number.
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| Provenance: |
Acquired by us in 2023 from the German Heckmann family collection. Purchased by the founder of the glass collection, Peter Heckmann, on 3 May 1970 from the ancient art dealer Heinz Herzer from Munich, Germany. We have a copy of the invoice.
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| References: |
Cf. E. M. Stern, Roman, Byzantine, and Early Medieval Glass, p. 74, no. 17. Dated by Stern to the mid-1st century AD. It is the Italian type described above. In contrast, the very similar vessel type from Cyprus is illustrated on p. 75, no. 18. Cf. Y. Israeli, Ancient Glass in the Israel Museum, p. 120, no. 115. The very similar vessel was found in a tomb in northern Israel that could be dated to the late 1st or early 2nd century AD, consistent with manufacture of the glass around the mid-1st century. Cf. D. Whitehouse, Roman Glass in The Corning Museum of Glass, Volume One, p. 249, nos. 424 and 425. Dated by Whitehouse to the 3rd century AD, deviating from the usual 1st century dating in other publications, which we also adhere to. For reference pieces on the art market: Cf. auction Christie's New York on 3 June 1999, lot 106, sold for 11,500 USD (equivalent to 12,500 EUR at the time). Cf. auction Bonhams London on 26 February 2024, lot 81, sold for 2,300 GBP (equivalent to 2,700 EUR at the time). |
| Authenticity: |
We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.
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