Lot 22
**First Time At Auction**
Ancient Greece, Classical Period, ca. late 6th to 5th century BCE. A lovely core-formed glass perfume-holding vessel known as oinochoe with an inverted piriform body resting atop a petite discoid foot. The opaque blue body is decorated with trails of yellow glass around the shoulder, blue strands that are feathered into a zigzagging pattern, and thin white strips around the lower body. The top of the pinched, trefoil-style pouring spout is ringed with opaque yellow glass, and a curved trail handle is pulled between the shoulder and rim. Attractive areas of silvery and rainbow-hued iridescence have formed across this elegant example of ancient Greek glass artistry! Size: 2.2" W x 3.75" H (5.6 cm x 9.5 cm); 4.25" H (10.8 cm) on included custom stand.
According to the Corning Museum of Glass, core forming is "the technique of forming a vessel by winding or gathering molten glass around a core supported by a rod. After forming, the object is removed from the rod and annealed. After annealing, the core is removed by scraping." This process of glass making was begun in the late 16th century BCE by glassmakers of Mesopotamia, and then adopted by Egyptian glassmakers in the 15th century BCE. The technique almost came to an end in the so-called Dark Ages of Mediterranean civilization (1200 to 900 BCE); however, by the 9th century BCE a new generation of glassmakers took up the technique once again, and between the 6th and 4th century BCE core-forming spread throughout the Mediterranean.
Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 17.194.788; The British Museum, museum number 1864, 1007.62; "Shining Vessels: Ancient Glass from Greek, Roman and Islamic Times." Fortuna Fine Arts, Ltd., New York, 1991, p5, fig. 1; and Stern, E. Marianne and Birgit Schlick-Nolte. "Early Glass of the Ancient World: 1600 B.C. - A.D. 50 | Ernesto Wolf Collection." Verlag Gerd Hatje, Germany, 1994, pp. 212-213, no. 47.
Another stylistically similar example hammered for $9,750 at Christie's, New York "Antiquities" auction (sale 2007, June 4, 2008, lot 101).
Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Stephen Shalom, collection, New York City, New York, USA, 1970s, purchased in Israel
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#154200
- Condition: Repairs to neck, handle, and spout, with restoration to areas of neck and rim, and resurfacing with light overpainting along new material and break lines. Abrasions and minor nicks to foot, body, neck, spout, and handle, with chipping and light fading to original glass color, and light encrustations. Nice earthen deposits and root marks as well as light silver and rainbow iridescence throughout.
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| From: | To: | Increments: |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $299 | $25 |
| $300 | $999 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $1,999 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $4,999 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $9,999 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $19,999 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $49,999 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $99,999 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $199,999 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 + | $20,000 |