Lot 26
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: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-Martin Worsh collection, New York, USA, acquired in the 1980s
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#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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