Description:

Roman, Imperial period, ca. 50 BCE to 50 CE. In a technique that is incredibly reminiscent of the single most famous piece of glass in the world - The Portland Vase - this cobalt cup is not only stunning, it is stunningly important. Deep blue cup with slightly sack-shaped body, rim flaring and slightly conical to allow contents to easily flow back into the vessel. The most outstanding aspect of this vessel is the added white, which may have been an early attempt at fusing white over blue so that a cameo design could be achieved. Is it possible that this was an early trial piece? We will simply never know. Size: 2.375" W x 2.5" H (6 cm x 6.4 cm)

The Portland Vase is by all accounts the single most precious piece of glass in the world. Housed at the British Museum since 1810, it has been studied and debated for over 200 years. Sadly, in 1845 a drunken patron of the museum smashed the jar into dozens of pieces requiring it to be painstakingly restored.

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Martin Wunsch collection, New York, USA, acquired in the 1980s

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#139623

  • Condition: 1-1/2" section of rim professionally restored.

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October 11, 2018 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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