BLUE ROMAN BOTTLE WITH THIN TRAILING

42R)  Blue Bottle with Trailing Date: First century H: 11 cm

This deep blue Roman bottle is decorated with a thin colorless glass trail spiraling around the body and onto the base.  Bottle has been repaired using original pieces.

Ref: Whitehouse, Vol. II #700, Kevorkian, 1985 #150-154

ROMAN GLASS JAR WITH ZIG-ZAG RIM

(40R) Third-Fourth Century A.D. H: 7 cm

 

This is a Roman glass jar with zig-zag trailing between the top of  the rim to the  shoulder of the body.  It was probably made in the eastern Mediterranean area. From the Allaire Collection.

 

 

ROMAN SQUARE GLASS BOTTLE

SQUARE BOTTLE of Hans van Rossum

Date: First part of 1st century AD | Roman Empire Size:↑ 7.5 cm | ø 5.0 cm | Weight 38 g

 

Technique: Free blown and tooled

Classification: Isings form 51a (variant); Vessberg Type Pl. XV no. 5

Description: A bottle of transparent pale green glass with a squat and almost cubic body, long cylindrical neck, as if sunken into sloping shoulder. Flaring mouth, rim folded outward and inward. Original plaster stopper. Flat base; two-ribbed strap handle applied to the shoulder, drawn up attached to middle of the neck at right angles and in a fold, going upward to edge of rim. No pontil.

Condition: In a good condition.

Remarks I: This square bottle is remarkable, not only because of its small height, but also because of the way in which the glass worker attached the handle, first to the middle of the neck as was common for glass production during the early first century, after that it looks like he suddenly realized there was a new and modified technique in attaching the handle to the rim, so his solution was to continue with the handle by making a fold and attaching the end of the glass coil to the edge of the rim, the new ”place to be”. Another rare phenomenon is the sealing of the mouth. Done by using a plaster stopper, originally to protect the liquid of which a rest, now as a dry substance, is still available into the bottle. To see another bottle in Hans’s collection sealed in this way click on this (active link) .

Remarks II: On the top of every side of the body a slight circular impression can be seen which probably is the mark of the use of a hand-held tool, necessary to form and flatten the sides.

Provenance: ex-private collection Beverly Hills, CA-US Sa’di Barakat & Sons, David Street, Old City, Jerusalem. Legally Authorised Dealers, Authorisation No. 195

Reference: Cyprus Collection, Stockholm, Acc. 820 (Vessberg p. 129 – Pl. VI no. 3 & PL. XV no. 5, H = 9.7 cm, Vetri antichi del Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Este, A. Toniolo no. 246,Vetri antichi del Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Adria, S. Bonomi no. 292, Vetri antichi di raccolte concordiesi e polesane, A. Larese & E. Zerbinati no 45,Vetri antichi del Museo archeologico al Teatro Romano di Verona e di altre collezioni veronesi, G. M. Facchini no. 334

 

ROMAN DOUBLE HEADED MEDUSA GLASS FLASK

Double headed Large Medusa flask of David Giles

Side 1

Side 2

 

This is a very large (15cm) double headed Medusa flask, in aubergine (manganese) colored glass. The flask was made in two-part mold with a pontil mark on the base. Date is 3rd/4th century AD.  Parallels can be found at The Louvre Museum, Newark Museum and Miho Museum.

RARE LENTOID SHAPED CORE FORMED GLASS VESSEL

 

Lentoid core glass of David Giles

Condition: Intact. Date: 4th century BC Size: 10cm high

Remarks: This lentoid shaped vessel with twin handles has cylinder blue feet with white ends, pierced. A rare form in core glass and without parallel shape in Greek pottery suggesting they were made in one specific area exclusively, possibly Southern Italy. Decorated with feathered trailing in yellow, white, turquoise-blue, against dark blue background..

Parallels: Best parallels are in the British Museum, Harvard Art Museum, George Ortiz collection and Borowski collection.

 

ROMAN RIBBED GLASS BOWL

RIBBED BOWL of Joop van der Groen

Roman Empire | 1st century AD (probably 2nd half)  Size: ↑ 4,8 cm  Ø 16,4 cm | Weight 289 gram

 

Technique: Cast, pinched and dropped on a mould; rotary-polished on the interior.

Classification: Isings (1957) form 3a

Description: A ribbed bowl in translucent bluish-green glass with 27 ribs with pronounced upper-end that taper downward and continue under the bottom. On the interior polished and four engraved concentric lines. Also polished on the outside of the rim above the ribs.

Condition: Intact

Remarks: Scientific research by Mark Taylor and David Hill indicated how this form ribbed bowl has been made.

Provenance: Atticart Ltd, London

Reference: Römisches geformtes Glas in Köln (Fremersdorf, 1961), pag. 39, Tafel 57, no. 34.444; Antike Gläser – Ausstellung in Antikenmuseum Berlin {Platz-Horster, 1975, nos. 18 – 19; A collection of Ancient Glass 500 BC – 500 AD (Arts, 2000), no. 17;  Histoire du Verre – l’Antique (Slitine, 2005) page 63.

 

GLASS AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, NEW YORK,NY

The Met on 5th Ave New York

A courtyard in the Met

Size and type of the Glass Collection: approx. 11,000 pieces from 2000BC to present.  It covers Western Europe, Near East and North America. This museum has one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of glass in the United States.

The departments in the Museum with glass holdings include:

American Wing:    American glass has been newly re-installed on the balcony of the Charles Engelhard Court. Glass and other American objects are also available for study in the Henry R. Luce Center for study of American Art.

To view this collection click on this link: Glass in the American Wing(active link)

Glass of the Byzantine, Early Middle Ages, and Middle Ages

The Metropolitan Museum’s collection of medieval art, one of the richest in the world, encompasses the art of this long and complex period in all of its many phases, from its pre-Christian antecedents in Western Europe through the early Christian, Byzantine, Romanesque, and Gothic periods.  This is the period between ancient and modern times in Western civilization, known as the Middle Ages. Extends from the fourth to the early sixteenth century, which is roughly from the Fall of Rome to the beginning of the Renaissance in Northern Europe.  The Cloisters museum and gardens, the branch of The Metropolitan Museum of Art is devoted to the art and architecture of medieval Europe. The Cloisters itself was assembled from architectural elements that date from thetwelfth through the fifteenth century. Located in a spectacular four-acre setting overlooking the Hudson River with views of the George Washington Bridge, the building incorporates elements from five medieval cloisters. Follow the link to the page on the Cloisters museum, gardens and glass(active link).

In the Fall of 2000 new galleries for Byzantine and early European art opened at the Museum in a dramatically expanded and redesigned space that includes an intimate gallery under the Grand Staircase.  The period of time this covers is from the late 300’s to 800’s and shows the glass of the Byzantines, Franks, Langobards, Visigoths, Anglo-Saxons, and other peoples.  The examples are from these galleries. Follow the link with a click to see these pictures. Glass of Byzantines, Franks, Langobards, Visigoths and Anglo-Saxons(active link)

Ancient Near East

Egyptian: Most of the collections of Egyptian glass(active link) shown comes from archeological excavations from the ancient Egyptian/Roman city of Karanis in the Fayum region. Date: 3rd to 4th century

Greek and Roman:      The newly renovated galleries of the Greek and Roman Department(active link) have an exemplary display of glass from this period.

Follow this link  to see pictures of  the Roman glass collection.  Glass of the Romans

Islamic Art:   The grand reopening of a suite of 15 dramatic New Galleries for the Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and Later South Asia(active link) took place at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art on November 1^st 2011. The greatly enlarged, freshly conceived, and completely renovated galleries will house the Metropolitan’s renowned collection of Islamic art—one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of this material in the world. Design features within the new space will highlight both the diversity and the interconnectedness of the numerous cultures represented here; multiple entryways will allow visitors to approach the new galleries—and the art displayed within—from different perspectives. The following link is to our Study Gallery pictures of the Islamic glass(active link) in the new Arab Lands Galleries.

The Robert Lehman Collection:This comprehensive collection of European glass from 15th -17th C. is highlighted in the publication:  Glass in the Robert Lehman Collection, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Dwight Lanmon with David B. Whitehouse, 1993

Medieval Art: Displayed in this department is glass from the Frankish period, stained glass and European vessel glass dating from 500 to 1500 AD.

Spanish Glass: It is glassware made in Spain from the Roman and medieval eras, but mainly made in the 16^th and 17^th centuries in many glassworks throughout the country.  These were principally in Catalonia, Castile, Andalucía and the Royal Factory at La Granja De San Ildefonso.  Spanish glass shows Moorish influence and later that of Venice, and to limited extent Bohemia, but local styles were developed making it quite unique. The examples shown here are from The Metropolitan Art Museum and the Allaire Collection. In addition to the Met’s collection there is another fine collection of Spanish glass in New York City at The Hispanic Society of America. To see pictures of this collection follow this link: Spanish Glass Collection at the Metropolitan(Active link)

The Cloisters: This separate Museum also in New York is a branch of the Metropolitan displaying Medieval Art.  The glass includes stained glass panels and vessels. Cloisters museum, gardens and glass(active link).

Twentieth Century Art:

 

A MUST-SEE SHOW, “GLASS THROUGH THE AGES“, running from April 12, 2018 through October 7, 2018 in Dordrecht

“GLASS THROUGH THE AGES”

Presented by

The Dordts Patrician House – Museum at the Meuse river

–

Located at banks of the old Meuse river and at the harbor area of the historical intercity of Dordrecht you will find the Dorts Patrician House active link, a beautiful monumental house which gives you a great impression of life at the end of the 18th century. Have a look at the fine details, paintings and drawings in this authentic 18th century house. The new show ‘GLASS THROUGH THE AGES“, will run from April 12, 2018 through October 7, 2018.  Now, as a visitor to the Patrician House, you can see this beautiful exhibition. The glassware that is shown comes from the collections of Hans van Rossum, Nico Bijnsdorp, Aad v.d. Born, Joop van der Groen, Martin, Annelies  and Elisabeth & Theo Zandbergen starts with very early examples from the 6th century BC. These are followed by over 120 Roman glass objects, dated 1st – 5th century AD.  Also on display are silver coins showing the Roman emperors being paired with glass objects in use at their respective reigns.  A nice example is the coin depicting emperor Otto, who was bald as a coot, wearing a wig.  A unique display.In another display cabinet drinking glasses are shown from the 1st century AD.to the year 1923, including a Merovingian cup.

For visitors there will be a very special offer to buy the book: Roman Glass borrowed from Private Collections with many high-class illustrations and the complete story of the production and used techniques by the Roman glass-workers. Visitors of the museum don’t pay € 19,95 but only € 7,50.

Below are examples of what you can see at the exhibition

(Click below to enlarge photos)

–

For additional information about the collections of these five contributors to the show click on their names and you will be taken to their page on this site.

Annelies

Hans van Rossum

Elisabeth & Theo Zandbergen

Joop van der Groen

Nico F. Bijnsdorp

GLASS FROM KARANIS AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART EGYPTIAN DEPARTMENT

The majority of the Met’s initial holdings of Egyptian art came from private collections, items uncovered during the museum’s own archeological excavations, carried out between 1906 and 1941, constitute almost half of the current collection. More than 26,000 separate pieces of Egyptian art from the Paleolithic era through the Ptolemaic era constitute the Met’s Egyptian collection, and almost all of them are on display in the museum’s massive wing of 40 Egyptian galleries.^[28] Among the most valuable pieces in the Met’s Egyptian collection are 13 wooden models (of the total 24 models found together, 12 models and 1 offering bearer figure is at the Met, while the remaining 10 models and 1 offering bearer figure are in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, discovered in a tomb in the Southern Asasif in western Thebes in 1920. These models depict, in unparalleled detail, a cross-section of Egyptian life in the early Middle Kingdom: boats, gardens, and scenes of daily life are represented in miniature.  Taken from an article Wiklpedia (active link).

Most of the collections of Egyptian glass shown comes from archeological excavations from the ancient Egyptian/Roman city of Karanis in the Fayum region. Date: 3rd to 4th century

 

BARREL SHAPED ROMAN (FRONTINUS) BOTTLE

BARREL SHAPED ROMAN (FRONTINUS) BOTTLE  of Nico F. Bijnsdorp

 

Date: Late 3^rd – Early 4^th century AD From: Western Empire, Gaul, Normandy. Dimensions:  H: 17.8 cm. Dmax: 8.6 cm. Drim: 4.2 cm. Dbase: 8.3 cm. Weight: 200 gr.

 

Classification: Isings 1957: Form 89. Morin-Jean 1913: Form 132. Sennequier 1993: Form HN.15.1. Goethert-Polaschek 1977: Form 121.

Condition: Intact. Some weathering and iridescence.

Technique: Free blown in mold with two vertical sections with integrated base-plate. Handle applied.

Description: Transparent bluish green glass. Cylindrical body divided in three horizontal bands of roughly equal height Top and bottom bands have six continuous horizontal ribs each, the central band is plain and slightly convex. Near horizontal shoulder with rounded edge. Cylindrical neck slightly tapering upwards to everted rim. Rim folded out, up and in to form a narrow flange with rounded edge. Infolded part of rim descends almost one cm into the neck. Flat base with pontil mark and mold seams. Broad handle with two side-ribs drawn up from edge of shoulder, bent sharply and attached  with a fold to neck and rim. Clearly visible mold seams adjacent to handle from lower neck, down the body to underside of bottom.

Remarks: This bottle was unearthed in 1875 by Louis-Gabriel Bellon (1819-1899), a French archaeologist and collector, who carried out regular excavations in North-west France. Mr. Bellon marked many of the unearthed objects with find-place and –year and other information. The underside of this bottle carries a sticker with his handwritten text “Amiens 1875”.

The seam between the two mold parts forms a curious, horseshoe-shaped pattern on the underside of the bottom. One vertical mold part includes almost the entire base, the other includes only a 1.2 cm wide strip along the edge. This type of mold is characteristic for barrel-shaped bottles made in Normandy (Stern 2001, No. 76).

Bottles like this one imitate wooden barrels that were used for storage of wine. They were exclusively made in the Western Empire, mainly in the North-west of Gaul and the Rhineland. The earliest ones have one handle, later examples have two handles (see NFB 372). Many of them have inscriptions on the bottom referring to the glassmaker Frontinus.

Provenance:

Sheikh Saud Bin Mohamed Ali Althani Collection, Doha, Qatar.

Louis-Gabriel Bellon Collection, Saint-Nicolas, France.

 

Published:

Jack-Philippe Ruellan Enchères 4 April 2009, No. 194.

Corinne Helin, August 2016, Louis-Gabriel Bellon (1819-1899) et sa collection d’antiques.

 

References:

Whitehouse 2001, Corning Museum, No. 589.

Heinemeyer 1966, Kunstmuseum Düsseldorf/Hentrich, Nos. 53-54.

Harden 1968, The British Museum, No. 79.

Arveiller-Dulong 1985, Musée Archéologique de Srasbourg, Nos.170-171.

Sennequier 1985, Musée des Antiquités de Rouen, No. 275.

Loudmer 1985, Collection de Monsieur D(emeulenaere), No. 495.

Metropolitan Museum New York, accession number 81.10.73 (also from Amiens).