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Roman, early Imperial Period, ca. late 1st century BCE to 1st century CE. A lightly-ribbed bowl made from thick, translucent, pale-green glass. The vessel is mold-made, cast in a shallow phiale-like form, with a slightly concave base and dozens of radiating ribs around the lower body which terminate at the smooth, slightly-rolled rim. This style of glass is known as “pillar-molded,” referring to the production technique, where the shape of the bowl was determined by taking a flat sheet of pliable glass and placing it into a solid mold upside-down; this glass was then worked so that it is slipped/sagged over the mold to create the ribs on the exterior. Bowls like this one were used as part of the Roman “cena,” or dinner, probably for holding condiments like garum (fermented fish sauce). Size: 6.5″ W x 1.875″ H (16.5 cm x 4.8 cm).
For a stylistically-similar example in a cobalt-blue hue, please see “Solid Liquid: Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic Glass.” Fortuna Fine Arts., Ltd., New York, 1999, p. 41, fig. 48.
Condition: Surface wear and minor abrasions commensurate with age, very minor nicks to rim, and light roughness across exterior surfaces, otherwise intact and near-choice. Light earthen deposits as well as great silver and rainbow iridescence throughout.
Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection
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