Roman, early Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 2nd century CE. A broad cup of a distinguished form, free-blown from translucent glass of a soft blue hue. The composition is defined by a concave base with a smooth pontil scar, an apple-shaped body with a rounded shoulder, a tall, flared rim, and a trail handle with a pinched thumb rest on the top. Cups like this were used for drinking liquids, though they could also be utilized as a scoop or measuring cup. Fine layers of fiery rainbow-hued iridescence envelop the entire vessel in color. Size: 4.375" W x 3.25" H (11.1 cm x 8.3 cm)

Most scholars agree that Roman glass was of the highest quality - both aesthetically and technically - among the ancients. While glass making has been practiced for centuries, glass blowing was invented in the Roman-controlled Holy Land in the 1st century BCE and was an innovative technology that revolutionized the artform. The medium of glass has unique physical properties that make for a plethora of possibilities which would eventually replace a wide variety of pottery and metal wares in the ancient world. Roman glassmakers reached incredible artistic heights with both free-blown vessels and mold-blown forms and were traded far beyond the reaches of the Roman Empire. Roman glass vessels have been as far afield as Scandinavia, India, and in Han Dynasty tombs in China.

Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010

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#152731

Repaired from multiple pieces, with restoration to areas of shoulder and rim, with resurfacing and light adhesive residue along new material and break lines. Minor abrasions and nicks to base, body, rim, handle, and interior, with encrustations and weathering film. 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. Nice earthen deposits and great rainbow iridescence throughout.