Roman, Imperial period, ca. 1st to 3rd century CE. An incredible translucent, clear glass bowl, its surface decorated with repeated deeply-cut lines, made on a wheel. The underside of the bowl is dimpled into a repeated polka dot pattern. A delicate rim runs around the upper exterior, slightly flared outward from the steep walls of the vessel. Size: 4" W x 1.75" H (10.2 cm x 4.4 cm)

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.

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection

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#136326

Expertly repaired from six or seven pieces. Repairs are very well done and unobtrusive. Very light encrustation on surface with a matte patina.