PRIVATE COLLECTOR’S MONTH

MEROVINGIAN CONE BEAKER of Nico F. Bijnsdorp

MEROVINGIAN CONE BEAKER

Late 5th – early 6th century AD. Western Roman Empire.
H 12.0 cm. Drim 7.5 cm. Dbase 2.6 cm. Weight 77 gr.

Classification:
Morin-Jean 1913: Form 107.
Harden 1956: Group III.

Condition:
Intact. Excellently preserved.

Technique:
Pattern-blown. Trail applied.

Description:
Transparent natural green, bubbly glass. White trail.
The mold-blown body (blown in dip-mold) covered with diagonal ribbing from lower right to upper left. Ribbing starts at approx. 2 cm above bottom. Rim fire rounded and slightly thickened. Conical wall tapering to slightly turned-in base. Annular pontil mark at base. A white trail spiralling horizontally around the neck just below the rim in thirteen revolutions.

Remarks:
After the collapse of the Roman Empire the Frankish taste in glass changed: cutting, engraving and enamelling disappeared and simpler shapes and decorative styles prevailed. Frankish (Merovingian) glass was mainly produced at the furnace. This beaker is an outstanding example of the less sophisticated techniques of the Franks. The lack of a firm base on this beaker implies, that the liquid must have been consumed before the beaker was placed rim down on the table.

Published:
Dr. Fischer Kunstauktionen 19 October 2015, No. 4.

References:
Loudmer 1985, Collection Monsieur D., Nos. 515-516.
Whitehouse 2001, Corning Museum, No. 669.
Collection John and Carole Allaire, No. 60E.

PRIVATE COLLECTOR’S MONTH

YELLOW JAR WITH HANDLES of The Windmill Collection of Roman Glass

ROMAN YELLOW JAR WITH HANDLES

3rd-4th Century AD, Rhineland
H = 14.0 cm D = 13.5 cm

Classification: Isings form 65
Intact, some weathering
Description: This large thick-walled jar (with irregularly drawn-up yellowish-green handles) has been found in the Rhineland (Germany), possibly imported from the Eastern Empire. Could be used for storage, probably later on also for cinerary purpose . See comment ‘Romeins Glas uit particulier bezit’.
Provenance: Private Dutch collection
Exhibited: Thermen Museum Heerlen (NL), ‘Roman Glass from Private collections’, 29 April-28 August 2011, exp.no.247, Museum Honig Breethuis Zaandijk (NL), ‘Fascinating luxury from Antiquity’, 12 November 2011-30 January 2012, exp. no 28
Published: Romeins Glas uit Particulier bezit (2011)

PRIVATE COLLECTOR’S MONTH

RARE UNGUENTARIUM of Joop van der Groen

RARE GREEN UNGUENTARIUM

Roman Empire, possibly north-east Italy or the Swiss canton Ticino │ 1st century AD
Size: ↑ 7,5 cm; Ø max. 4,0 cm; Ø rim 2,1 cm. │ Weight: 18 gram

Technique: Free blown. Tooled.
Classification: Variant of Isings (1957) form 6 and form 26 a.
Description: Transparent emeraldgreen glass. Squat bulbous body. Striking long tubular neck with constriction at bottom. Rim folded outward, upward and inward. Flat base, slightly indented. No pontil mark.
Condition: Intact with some weathering.
Remarks: This Roman perfume bottle is rare because of two reasons: the form and the colour. Only very few unguentaria of this form (with a very long tubular neck) have been founded.
Emeraldgreen is the least common colour in Roman glass. The colour has been achieved by addition of some percents iron oxide into bluish-green glass.
Provenance: 2006 Jürgen Haering Galerie am Museum, Freiburg (Germany).
Reference: Roman Glass in The Corning Museum of Glass – Vol. I (D. Whitehouse, 1997), no. 196 and no. 197.

PRIVATE COLLECTOR’S MONTH

Roman Drinking Glass of Elisabeth & Theo Zandbergen 

Roman drinking glass photo by Tom Haartsen

Origin: Eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus, 3^rd  – 4^th century AD.

Dimensions:  ­7 cm.; foot ø 4,5 cm.; cuppa ø 8,5 cm.; weight 36 gram.

Drinking glass made from light olive green glass. This free formed glass is, as it looks like, made from one piece (gather) of glass. The hollow stem is “pulled” from the almost cylindrical body of the glass and than splayed out forming the small diameter foot having a rolled in rim. The mouth of the glass is also rolled in and has a very smooth finish. A very small pontil is visible. In the hollow stem a little earth deposit.

Parallels (ao.): – Isings, “Roman glass from dated finds”, pg. 139, Isings form 111, – Thomas Dexel, “Gebrauchsglas” pg. 65, – The Constable-Maxwell collection, Sotheby Parke Bernet, 1979, pg. 59 pict. 86, – Cantz, Römisches, Byzantinisches und frühmittelalterliches Glas, 10 v. Chr – 700 n.Chr, 309 nr. 172, – The collection Engels- de Lange, Frides Laméris Arts and Antiques, pg.24/25

Published: -“De Oude Flesch” nr. 124 (2011), pg. 14, – Catalogue “Romeins glas uit Particulier bezit”, Thermenmuseum Heerlen 2011, nr.60, page 47.

Provenance: – ex collection Niemeijer-Huysse, acquired in 1978 from Frides Laméris, Amsterdam, – acquired by present owners from Archea, PAN Amsterdam.

Exhibited: – Allard Pierson, see movie with Prof. Isings showing this or a very direct parallel of this glass.  – “Romeins glas uit Particulier bezit”, Thermenmuseum Heerlen 2011.

PRIVATE COLLECTOR’S MONTH

PEAR-SHAPED JUG of  Hans van Rossum

Detail of handle

Date:4th century AD | Origin:Eastern Mediterranean Size:↑13.6 cm | ø 6.6 cm | Weight: 126 g

Technique: Free blown, handle and foot applied

Description: Transparent amber colored glass, low-bellied and pear-shaped body, tapering to a narrow cylindrical neck, wide flattened mouth and rim folded inward. The base pushed in and tooled to form a hollow tubular base ring, rest of pontil. Handle of olive green glass, applied on the lower part of body, drawn up, making a construction and attached to edge of rim at right angle.

Condition: Intact, perfect condition

Remarks: In Roman times the common name for this type of jug was lagoena. The name was used for a jug made of pottery, silver,bronze or glass with the following and specific

Characteristics: a narrow neck, a bellied body and one or two handles. (Hilgers 1969) It is fascinating to see how the glass blower worked with too much glass for the handle, more than he needed but he used it all.

Provenance: Tel Aviv art market, 2005

Reference: Archaeological Center Tel Aviv, auction 46, 20 January 2010 lot 54, Fire and Sand, Ancient Glass in the Princeton University Art Museum, A. Antonaras no. 245

 

PRIVATE COLLECTOR’S MONTH

HELLENISTIC MOSAIC HEMISPHERICAL BOWL

The Augustinus Collection of Ancient Glass

 

Second century B.C.;  Eastern Mediterranean or Greece

H: 3.8 cm, D: 9.00 cm, Thickness rim: 0.39. cm, Bottom: 0.32 cm, Isings form: 1.

 

Technique: Mouldpressed, or sagged, hemispherical bowl; from a convex mould; wheelcut line underneath the rim into the same glass pattern.

Description: Hemispherical bowl, i.e. convex curving side and convex bottom; mosaic pattern formed from polygonal sections of a single blue bar as the centre, with an opaque white spiral surrounded by an amber coloured field that joins the other intersections with visible lining; rough wheelcut rim, slightly polished; one wheelcut groove at approximately 0.85 cm below the rim.

Condition: Complete and intact; polished; surface pits and remains of iridescence and weathering on the inside and outside.

Remarks: The rim is not finished with a coil of a different pattern, which might indicate an older date, or a primitive approach in technique.

Provenance:  From  a dutch collection. Said to have been aqcuired in Sicily, Italy.

Reference: Isings, 1957, form no: 1, p.15, Olivier, 1968, Millefiori glass in classical Antiquity, p.65, n.4, Slick-Nolte/ Stern, 1994, Early Glass of the Ancient World, Ernesto Wolf Collection with elaborate explanation on the technique.

 

PRIVATE COLLECTOR’S MONTH

GALLO-ROMAN GLASS JUG WITH TRAILING of David Giles

Side A

side B

Date: 2nd/4th century AD,  Height: 16.9cm,  Color: Transparent light yellowy green

Description: Free blown. Integral foot tooled in. Lip of rim turned in. Trailed in spirals of the same colored glass from base of neck down to foot of vessel.  Combed handle drawn up from hip of vessel to the lip and finished with double loop standing proud of the lip. Pontil mark.

Provenance: Oberstudienrate Ohrtmann, Kiel, Germany. 1960s/1970s

Condition: Intact with patina

Comparisons: Collection Verres Antiques Monsieur D Auction Paris 3/4 June 1985 Lot 478 Page 191. ,Roman Glass in Landesmuseum, Trier, Germany – GOETHERT-POLASCHEK 1982 –  Abb. 24 Item 4 page 58

PRIVATE COLLECTOR’S MONTH

HELLENISTIC CAST SKYPHOS of Nico F. Bijnsdorp

HELLENISTIC CAST SKYPHOS

Late 2nd – early 1st century BC. Near East (Alexandria?) or Italy.

H= 8,6 cm. D max= 19,3 cm. D rim= 11,2 cm. D base= 7,6 cm.
Weight 320 gr.

Classification: Andrew Oliver Jr. 1967: Type A.

Condition: Intact. Tiny chips to upside handles.

Technique: Cast, ground, lathe-cut and polished.

Description: Semi-translucent colorless glass with a yellowish grey tinge.  The hemispherical body on a low outsplayed ring foot. Rim cracked off and ground. The integral ring handles with flat horizontal upper and down-curved lower plates, aligned with the rim above. Vertical wheel-cut grooves on body where upper handles merge with the vessel’s rim.

Remarks: Glass skyphoi were cast in molds in one piece with their handles and feet.  On the vessel’s cooling, the orifices in the handles, their further details and the feet were finished by chiseling and cutting. Subsequently the vessel was ground and polished on a lathe. Colorless glass was often chosen deliberately to imitate rock-crystal. The handles were designed to be held with the thumb, forefinger and middle finger. Most skyphoi were made from metals: gold, silver or bronze.

Published: Christies 8 June 2004, No. 11.

References: Kunina 1997, Hermitage Museum, No. 57., Saldern 1968, Boston Museum, No. 10. ,Christies 12 June 2002, No. 170.
Arveiller-Dulong 2000, Louvre Museum, No. 208., Fortuna Fine Arts 2009, After Twenty Years, No. 10.

PRIVATE COLLECTOR’S MONTH

ROMAN COBALT BLUE ACETABULUM of  The Windmill Collection of Roman Glass

ROMAN COBALT BLUE ACETABULUM

Date: 1st Century AD (Isings form 69a), Italy

Size: H = 5.8 cm, D = 8.5cm (rim)
Condition: Intact
Description: Cobalt blue hemispherical cup . Rim with rounded lip, at bottom of the rim a folded tubular flange. Wall curves in at top, base disc-shaped formed by tooling.
Provenance: Frides Lameris Amsterdam NL
Exhibited: Thermenmuseum Heerlen (NL), ‘Roman Glass from private collections’, 29 April – 28 August 2011, exp. no. 13;
Museum Honig Breethuis (NL) ’Fascinating luxury of Antiquity’, 12 November 2011– 30 January 2012 , exp no. 7

Published: ‘Romeins Glas uit particulier bezit’ (2011)
De Oude Flesch (2011)
Ref: The Allaire collection (61R); Joop van der Groen (Roman acetabulum)

PRIVATE COLLECTOR’S MONTH

Globular Transparent Jug of of The Windmill Collection of Roman Glass

Roman globular jug

Roman globular jug

1st-2nd Century A.D., Roman Empire
Size H= 16.0 cm D rim= 5.0 cm D max = 10.0 cm
Classification Isings form 52a

Description: Intact free blown light-olive green transparent jug or bottle. The rim folded downward, upward and outward. Short cylindrical neck with slight constriction at the bottom end and wide near-globular body and slightly pushed-in base. Four-ribbed strap handle applied to shoulder drawn up and attached to the neck below rim at right angles
Provenance: Paul E. Cuperus collection NL (PEC047)
Exhibited: Thermen Museum Heerlen (NL), ‘Roman Glass from Private collections’, 29 April-28 August 2011, exp.no.67
Published: Bonhams, Fine Antiquities July 1996, no.267, Bonhams, Fine Antiquities December 1996, no.87, Ref. Bonomi no.317; Zampieri no.246