Late 1st century BC-early 1st century AD. A mosaic glass pyxis in swirls of green, amber, blue and white glass, squat jar with shallow lid and knop handle. See Whitehouse, D. Roman Glass in the Corning Museum of Glass, vol.1, New York, 1997, item 55 for technique (formerly Ray Winfield Smith Collection); and for similar examples see Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, accession number: 47.76; and Metropolitan Museum, New York, accession number: 91.1.1335a, b; and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, accession number: 99.454a-b. 84 grams, 73mm (3"). Property of a Richmond gentleman; part of his family collection formed before 1980; thence by descent. This pyxis is exemplary of luxury Roman glassware. The gilded bands are composed of a layer of gold foil between two colourless layers, the coloured bands form between them the complete vessel. [A video of this item is available to view on TimeLine Auctions website.]

Fine condition, repaired.