Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 2nd to 3rd century CE. A wonderfully preserved Roman jar, free-blown from translucent glass of a pale aubergine color with a faint marble effect that nicely complements its elegant shape. Presenting a squat form, the ancient vessel displays a bulbous body, a concave base with a large pontil scar, a rounded shoulder, a narrow neck, and a collared rim that leads to a deep interior cavity. Extensive exterior areas of silvery and rainbow-hued iridescence pepper the vessel's violet surface, imbuing it with an opulent presentation evocative of ancient Rome. What's more, aubergine is one of the rarest and most desirable of all Roman glass colors. A truly fabulous example! Size: 4" Diameter x 4.2" H (10.2 cm x 10.7 cm)

Ancient glass manufacture had begun in the 2nd millennium BCE in Mesopotamia and Egypt. The Greeks and Phoenicians advanced glass technology greatly in the latter 1st millennium BCE. In the early 1st century CE, Roman workshops began producing blown glass on a large scale. Eventually glass vessels came to replace a wide variety of pottery and metal wares in the ancient world. Ancient Roman glass was traded far beyond the Roman Empire. Roman glass vessels have been found in Scandinavia, India, and in Han Dynasty tombs in China. The aubergine color of the glass indicates that it was probably from Sidon, in the Levant, where this color was made using the crushed-up shells of native mollusks.

A similar example (and an additional vessel) hammered for $5,000 at Christie's, New York "Antiquities Including Property from The Collection of Max Pavelsky" Auction (sale 2364, December 9, 2010, part of lot 75).

Provenance: ex-private Virginia, USA collection, acquired before 2000

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#170176

Intact and excellent with amazing iridescence. Pontil mark on underside of base. A pontil scar or mark indicates that a vessel was free-blown, while the absence of such a mark suggests that the work was either mold-blown or that the mark was intentionally smoothed away or wore away over time. Collection label on base.