Roman Empire, Lebanon, Sidonian, ca. mid 1st to early 2nd century CE. In a word, BREATHTAKING! A petite free-blown semi-translucent glass vase, also known as an amphoriskos, the body of a striking purple aubergine color - the handles a stunning blue-green. The vessel presents a pear-shaped, skillfully ribbed body with a narrow tubular neck, a flared and in-folded rim, and a pair of elegantly undulating trailed handles joining neck to shoulder that beautifully complement the ribbed body. The vessel boasts striking purple and aqua iridescence on the rim and areas of silvery iridescence on the exterior walls and handles. A fabulous example from ancient Rome! Size: 2.75" H (7 cm); 3.25" H (8.3 cm) on included custom stand.

For collectors of Roman glass, some colors are more prized than others. The brilliance of aubergine is certainly among these. In addition to this vessel's beautiful hue, its form is most elegant. The following quote poetically describes the artistic process of creating free-blown glass in ancient Rome, "First he heated the very point of the iron, then snatched from nearby a lump of bright glass and placed it skillfully within the hollow furnace. And the crystal as it tasted the heat of the fire was softened by the strokes of Hephaestus like . . .he blew in from his mouth a quick breath . . . .like a man essaying the most delightful art of the flute. The glass received the force of his breath and became swollen out around itself like a sphere before it. It would receive another onslaught of the divine breath, for often swinging it like an ox-herd his crook he would breath into . . ." ( P. Oxy. 50.3536, a third century poem on glass blowing - R.A. Coles, Oxyrhynchus Papyri 50 (1983), p. 58 from "Solid Liquid" catalogue, Fortuna Fine Arts, New York, 1999, p. 56)

Here are the ancient encyclopedist Pliny's words as he describes his voyage to Sidon - 'where glass is made': "From this point on we must go back to the coast and to Phoenicia. There was formerly a town called Crocodilian, and there still is a river of that name…Then comes Cape Carmel…Next are Getta, Geba, and the river Pacida or Belus…Close to this river is Ptolemais…Next Tyre, once an island separated from the mainland by a very deep sea-channel 700 yards wide, but now joined to it by the works constructed by Alexander when besieging the place…but the entire renown of Tyre now consists in a shell-fish and a purple dye!…Next are Zarephath and the city of birds (Ornithon oppidum), and Sidon, the mother-city of Thebes in Boeotia where glass is made." (Pliny, Natural History V.75-76, 77-79 CE).

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#137621

Generally excellent with marvelous iridescence!