Tall / Fine Roman Glass Vase

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Clearance Sale - Ancient / Ethnographic Art

By Artemis Gallery

Aug 16, 2018

Set Reminder 2018-08-16 10:00:00 2018-08-16 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Clearance Sale - Ancient / Ethnographic Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/clearance-sale---ancient-ethnographic-art-3368
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• Lot Description
  **Originally Listed At $900**
  
  Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 3rd to 4th century CE. A stunning hand-blown glass vessel of a very attractive yellow hue with remarkable translucency - and a tinge of aubergine kissing one side of the mouth to the neck. What's more, the piece boasts an elegant attenuated form with a tubular lower section flaring into a broad low shoulder that then tapers inward to create a tall cylindrical neck with a broad mouth and rolled rim. Look closely and you will also see faint ribs wrapping around the lower end of the neck, extending up its tubular form, and gently embracing the curves of the cupped mouth. All rests on a ring trailed base that surrounds the rounded bottom of the vessel. Size: 11.5" H (29.2 cm); 11.875" H (30.2 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  For collectors of Roman glass, some colors are more prized than others. The golden, sun-kissed quality of this vessel's yellow hues as well as the elegant inclusion of purple aubergine conjuring the rich violet hues of grapes and wine, favorite delicacies of the ancients associated with Bacchus (Dionysos) - god of wine, pleasure, ritual madness, ecstasy, and theatre - are certainly among these. In addition to this vessel's beautiful hues, 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)
  
  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 and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
  
  #132152

  Condition

  Expected areas of earth deposits and internal bubbles that occurred during the glassblowing process. Areas of rainbow and silvery iridescence. Generally excellent!
• Shipping Info

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