Large Roman Pottery Transport Amphora

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Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic

By Artemis Gallery

Feb 21, 2019

Set Reminder 2019-02-21 10:00:00 2019-02-21 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-asian-ethnographic-3858
An important one-day auction featuring museum-worthy examples of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Near Eastern, Far East / Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Russian, Fossils, Ancient Jewelry, Fine Art, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 2nd to 4th century CE. A fine pottery transport amphora with a narrow conical base, a smooth globular body, rounded shoulders with a slightly corseted neck base, a thick cylindrical neck, and a flared, collared rim. The buffware amphora has a pair of high-arching handles which join the shoulder to the top of the neck and made carrying the vessel much easier than if they were absent. Utilitarian transport vessels like this example were typically not adorned with painted decorations or applied details, though some display stamped markings denoting the materials contained within. The piriform body would have held gallons of wine or precious oils used to sustain legions of Roman troops which traveled and settled in most of Western Europe and Britain. Size: 12.8" W x 32.75" H (32.5 cm x 83.2 cm).
  
  Lacking its cork and pitch stopper, the original contents of this amphora are unknown; based on the globular size and shape, it was most likely used to transport olive oil (smaller ones were for stewed fruit or salted fish, while larger ones were used for wine). Amphorae formed the basis of the Roman economy as storage vessels for transporting goods throughout the Empire, with examples found from North Africa to Britain. The pointed base on this one is standard and was intended for storage in Roman warehouses in soft ground and for transport on ships by placing it through a specially-designed rack and roping it through the handles to others. This vessel likely came from North Africa, a major site of olive oil production (alongside Spain and France) in the Roman economy. This oil was used for cooking, lighting, and, in some cases, bathing; one estimate suggests that each Roman legion consumed 1370 amphorae of olive oil per year!
  
  Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Richard Wagner collection, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA, acquired in the 1960s
  
  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.
  
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  #143871

  Condition

  Vessel remarkably intact. Minor abrasions to body, base, handles, and rim, with several hairline fissures to extensive sea encrustations. Light earthen deposits throughout.
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