Description:

Greece, late Hellenistic period, ca. 1st century BCE. A gorgeous vial formed from swirling glass canes of black, white, clear, green, yellow, amber, red, and blue hues. The vessel boasts a thick composition and is defined by a rounded base, tall walls, a deep interior cavity, and a smooth rim. Vessels like this example were formed by wrapping glass canes of various colors around a central stick mold until the overall shape was formed, and the artisan would then cut away any excess and polish the rim with a red-hot flame. Faint areas of rainbow-hued iridescence are scattered around the rim and body and make this an attractive example of fine late Greek glasswork. Custom lucite display stand included. Size: 0.8" W x 3.8" H (2 cm x 9.7 cm); 4.375" H (11.1 cm) on included custom stand.

This vessel belongs to Oliver's type B alabastron type as described by Andrew Oliver, "Late Hellenistic Glass in the Metropolitan Museum," Journal of Glass Studies 9 (1967), pp. 20-22.

For a complete discussion of this type of vessel see also E. Marianne Stern and Birgit Schlick-Nolte, "Early Glass of the Ancient World, 1600 BC - AD 50: The Ernesto Wolf Collection" (Ostfildern, 1994), cat. no. 88, pp. 302-305.

For a stylistically-similar example with gold canes, please see "Solid Liquid: Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic Glass." Fortuna Fine Arts, Ltd., New York, 1999, pp. 34-35, fig. 37.

Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010

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.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.

Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#139588

  • Condition: Surface wear and minor abrasions commensurate with age, some small but stable hairline fissures, and areas of pitting and light encrustations, otherwise intact and excellent. Scattered areas of rainbow iridescence, and nice earthen deposits throughout.

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March 31, 2022 8:00 AM MDT
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Artemis Fine Arts

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