23. Roman decanter with wheel-cut lines, c.4th century AD
Glass
Height: 12.4cm
11309
£ 4,800.00
Free-blown in transparent, colourless glass. The conical body flares out markedly towards the wide flat base, the short cylindrical neck has an everted rim and outward flaring lip, the body...
Free-blown in transparent, colourless glass. The conical body flares out markedly towards the wide flat base, the short cylindrical neck has an everted rim and outward flaring lip, the body and neck are decorated with bands of very fine wheel-cut lines. Intact.
Pliny, in his Natural History XXXVI, 198, stated that "the most highly valued glass is colourless and transparent, as closely as possible resembling rock crystal".
Provenance
Anonymous Sale; Christie's, London, 6th December 1972Mrs Traudi (1922-2013) and Professor Peter H. Plesch (1918-2013), UK; acquired from the above, collection number AGv. 14B
Their Sale; Christie's, London, 28th April 2009
Sheikh Saud Al-Thani (1966-2014), London, UK and Paris, France; acquired from the above
Publications
Christie's, London, Antiquities, 6th December 1972, lot 147Christie's, London,The Plesch Collection of Ancient Glass, 28th April 2009, lot 4
