Roman, late Imperial period, ca. 4th century CE. A stunning glass pitcher free-blown from translucent light blue glass adorned with brilliant turquoise trailing forming the handle as well as zigzag and spiral bands that wrap around the body, rim, and neck. Boasting an elegant silhouette, the vessel presents a piriform body with a slender neck that dramatically flares out to a broad rim. A ribbed handle gracefully rises from the rounded shoulder, attaching body to spout. All is beautifully complemented by pearly and rainbow iridescence that envelops the surface of the glass. A wonderful example of turquoise glass decoration that gained popularity in the 4th-century Roman Empire! Size: 2.9" W x 3.4" H (7.4 cm x 8.6 cm); 4.3" H (10.9 cm) on included custom stand.

Most scholars agree, Roman glass was of the highest quality - both aesthetically and technically - among the ancients. While glass making had been practiced for centuries, glass blowing was invented in the Roman-controlled Holy Land in the 1st century BCE. This innovative technology revolutionized the artform. We can appreciate such a wide variety of forms and shapes, because the medium of glass has unique physical properties that make for so many more 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 decorations and were traded far beyond the Roman Empire. Roman glass vessels have been found in Scandinavia, India, and in Han Dynasty tombs in China.

A similar glass pitcher was sold by Christie's New York for $2,520 on January 26th, 2023 ("Antiquities" Live Auction 21709, lot 138). Exhibited in "Ancient Glass: Selections from the Richard Brockway Collection" at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University, Salem from March 10 to May 19, 2007 and "Glass of the Ancient World" at the Vero Beach Museum of Art, Florida from October 11 to December 28, 2008.

Provenance: private Vero Beach, Florida, USA collection, acquired before 2003

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#177394

Hairline fissures to body, rim, and base with small area of loss near the base. Surface wear commensurate with age, as shown. Otherwise, excellent with nice weathering film and gorgeous iridescence that even covers the area of small loss! 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.