Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 3rd century CE. A delicate, large, free blown translucent blue-green glass vessel. The neck and rim are from a different vessel, but the top of the original was probably similar. The form is elongated, with a bulging, ribbed area in the center and long neck and leg below; it terminates in a slightly bulged area at its base with pontil still present. The present neck features a broad, flat mouth with a rolled rim. Size: 2.4" W x 14.95" H (6.1 cm x 38 cm); 15.55" H (39.5 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 new 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 than metal or clay. Roman glassmakers reached incredible artistic heights with both free-blown vessels and mold blown forms and decorations.
Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection
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#132148
Condition
Restoration to 1" area on rim; neck is from a different vessel than the body, but the join is almost impossible to see at shoulder. Small cracks on middle of body that are stable. Encrusted patina with some rainbow iridescence in places.