Two Roman Glass Unguentaria with Iridescent Surfaces

拍品描述

Roman, Imperial period, Judaea, ca. 1–100 CE. Two free-blown glass unguentaria, each made from a bubble of greenish glass. Each has a round, bulbous body that rises into a long cylindrical neck, and each rim is folded inward and flared to make a sturdy lip for pouring. The taller flask has a slender neck with a hint of a waist at its base. The shorter one has a squatter, rounder outline. Centuries of burial have turned both surfaces into a shimmering skin of iridescence, with green, gold, and bronze tones glinting through patches of earthen encrustation. These little flasks held perfumed oils, cosmetics, and medicines in everyday Roman life. They were also often placed in tombs, perhaps carrying fragrant offerings for the dead. Each comes on a custom acrylic stand. Size of larger: 4.75" H x 1.5" Diam (12.1 cm H x 3.8 cm Diam); On included custom stand: 5" H (12.7 cm H). Glassblowing appeared along the Syro-Palestinian coast around the middle of the 1st century BCE, and the Roman world quickly made it its own. Blowing was far faster than the earlier core-forming and casting methods, so glass changed from a luxury into an everyday material within a few generations. Unguentaria were among the first mass-produced blown forms. The workshops of the Levant, which had local sand and plant-ash fluxes on hand, turned them out in huge numbers. The rainbow sheen on ancient glass is not a decoration. It forms as the glass weathers in the ground: moisture slowly draws alkali out of the surface, leaving very thin layered films of silica that split light the same way a soap bubble does. SHIPPING: We coordinate worldwide shipping in-house through specialist international forwarders experienced with fine art and antiquities customs manifests. International buyers must confirm, prior to bidding, that their country's customs authority will accept the item. All duties, taxes, clearance fees, and any costs arising from customs delays, seizures, re-export, returns, or loss in transit are the buyer's sole responsibility. Artemis assumes no liability for items refused entry, detained, or lost after export. We cannot ship ancient items to their country of origin (Egyptian to Egypt, Greek to Greece, etc.).For those not using LiveAuctioneers' Live Ship program, Artemis Fine Arts offers expert in-house packing and worldwide shipping. With over 20 years of experience, our team provides careful, reliable, and affordable service. For a quick quote on this lot, please contact support@artemisfinearts.com prior to the auction, or call 720-890-7700. PAYMENT EXCEPTION: For clients not previously established with Artemis, payment for all gold, precious metal, and gemstone lots must be made by bank wire transfer or certified bank check/money order, without exception. Item #205195

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