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THBImportant Roman Mosaic Glass Patella
About Seller
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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About Auction
LiveNov 15, 2024
Classical antiquities and ethnographic masterpieces, with treasures from every corner of the globe. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (221)
- Lot Description
Roman, late Republic to early Imperial Period, ca. late 1st century BCE to early 1st century CE. A stunning opaque mosaic glass vessel of a traditional form from the period, this patella cup presents a mesmerizing, all-encompassing pattern comprised of canes in red, white, black, and yellow enclosed in red as well as canes of yellow spirals within emerald-green glass, all surrounded by a matrix of aubergine and white hues. Despite its blackened exterior appearance, the bowl emits a delicate amethyst hue in a marbled pattern when illuminated with bright light. The entire carinated vessel is supported by an applied ring foot of similarly-colored glass. An elegant and graceful example with scattered areas of faint silvery iridescence from the height of the Roman Empire! Size: 3.55" Diameter x 1.5" H (9 cm x 3.8 cm).
A mosaic glass patella is a rarity, as most were made of metal or earthenware. Those simpler patellae were used domestically - for the practical purpose of holding food (or, in the case of a small one like this, sauce like garum or condiments like salt). Finer patella like this example were used for the ritual purpose of making offerings to the Lares, the hearth guardians. Plautus even called these gods "patellari dii," the patella gods.
Pliny described the eye-like forms of mosaic glass in his Natural History, "Pieces of broken glass can, when heated to a moderate temperature, be stuck together, but that is all. They can never again be completely melted except into globules separate from each other, as happens in the making of the bits of glass sometimes called 'eyes,' and which in some cases have a variety of colors arranged in several different patterns" (Pliny, Natural History XXXVI.199).
For a stylistically-similar example made from different-colored glass, please see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 1972.118.178.A strikingly-similar example hammered for $10,000 at Christie's, New York Antiquities auction (sale 2709, June 6, 2013, lot 508).
Provenance: private Stratford, Connecticut, USA collection, acquired from Artemis Gallery, February 21, 2019; ex-private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Mario & Anita Zuerrer Estate collection, Zurich Switzerland, acquired in the 1980s
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 and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#189486Condition
Small area of repair to body with light adhesive residue along break line. Small chip to rim, with minor abrasions to exterior surfaces, and light encrustations. Nice earthen deposits and faint silver iridescence throughout.
- Shipping Info
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All shipping is handled in-house for your convenience. Your invoice from Artemis Gallery will include shipping calculation instructions. If in doubt, please inquire BEFORE bidding for estimated shipping costs for individual items.
**Please note, we are currently unable to ship to Germany, Switzerland and Australia due to customs clearance issues. We are working to resolve this issue. If you are in Germany, Switzerland or Australia, you will need to provide an alternate shipping destination, arrange your own shipping, or we will not be able to complete your purchase.* **For shipments outside of the USA, custom / duties may apply upon entry into said country; this fee, if any, is the buyer's responsibility. Also, please be aware that Artemis Gallery will NOT falsify customs value on any international shipments - what you pay is what we declare, no exceptions. If you have questions about this, please inquire BEFORE bidding**
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