THREE ROMAN CUPS/BEAKERS OR CARCHESIA

Example A

COLORLESS CARCHESIUM of Joop van der Groen

Roman Empire, Eastern Mediterranean │ 2nd – 3th century AD Size: ↑ 9,9 cm; Ø foot 4,8 cm; Ø rim 9,4 cm. │ Weight: 72 gram

Technique: Free blown. Tooled.
Classification: Isings (1957) form 36 b.
Description: Transparent colorless glass with a number of small air bubbles. Body of waisted bell-shaped form. Side wall sharply curving back to slightly concave underside. Bottom pushed in to form a tubular base ring. Pontil mark. Thin glass thread around the body. Rounded rim.
Condition: Intact.
Remarks: Carchesia have been found throughout the whole Roman Empire. La Baume (1974) says: “Carchesia of glass have been blown according to examples in metal.” It is not certain that this form was called carchesium in the antiquity (Isings, 1957).
The basic color of Roman glass is bluish-green. This has been caused because sand (the main element for making raw glass) has been polluted by iron oxide. By addition of 0,2 to 1,5 percent antimony oxide the bluish/green raw glass changes into colorless glass. The use of silver or quartz sand also results in colorless glass.
Provenance: 2006 Frides Lameris Kunst en Antiekhandel vof, Amsterdam. Before 2006 in a private Dutch collection.
Published: Romeins glas uit particulier bezit (J. van der Groen & H. van Rossum, 2011).
Exhibited: Thermenmuseum Heerlen (NL), “Romeins Glas, geleend uit particulier bezit”,
29 April – 28 August 2011, exp. no. 48.
Reference: Glas der antiken Welt (P. La Baume, La 1974), no. D 8: Archéologie, Collections de deux Grands Amateurs (Binoche et Giquelllo, Paris), 30-05-2012, no. 159; Kunstwerke der Antike (Cahn Auktionen AG Basel), Auktion 7, 03-11-2012, no. 112; Ancient Coins & Antiquities, Archaeological Center Tel Aviv), Auction 54, 27-03-2013, no. 243.

Example B

ROMAN GLASS CARCHESIUM

From

The Windmill Collection of Roman Glass

Date: Late 1^st-2^nd Century AD (Isings form 36b), Rhineland

Size: H = 10.3 cm              D = 9.8 cm

Condition: intact

Description: Freeblown pale green bell-shaped beaker with applied foot. Rim plain and rounded, wall tapers, then splays to carination with slight overhang, below which it tapers sharply to bottom. No pontil mark.

Provenance: Private collection Cologne (Germany)

Ref.: Gallo-Roman Museum Tongres (Belgium); Kunstpalast Museum Dusseldorf (Germany); Rijksmuseum voor Oudheden, Leiden (Netherlands).

Example C

75R Roman glass Carchesium of Allaire Collection

Date: 4-5th century  Size: H: 7.5 cm Rim D: 8.5 cm

Condition: intact

Description: This rather large pale yellow-green concave beaker has a thin glass trail around its body with an out-splayed folded rim.  The rounded curved base does not have the classic Roman ring foot but a round protrusion which makes it very stable.  The pontil mark in the center of the base is cracked off and rough.  The beaker has the elements of both a 1^st C. Roman jar and a 5^th C. Merovingian bell beaker.  It is probably not Merovingian.