Condition
Intact; surface dulled, covered by iridescence and incrustations; many pinprick bubbles.
Description
Fire-polished, horizontal rim, pinched to form 13 shallow scallops; a horizontal flange on the underside of the rim, at the transition to the body. The body is cylindrical, gently tapering toward the slightly convex bottom. Tooled, conical base with slanting tooling marks. At the center of the bottom is a solid, circular pontil mark (W. 0.9 cm).
Comments and Comparanda
Vessels of this form have a horizontal rim with fire-polished, scalloped edge; vertical body walls; flat bottom; and low, pushed-in, slightly conical base-ring (Isings, Clasina. 1957. Roman Glass from Dated Finds. Groningen: Wolters., p. 58, form 42d). The edge of the rim and the transition from the body to the rim are occasionally emphasized by winding a fine thread of strongly-colored glass around them. The form is dated mainly to the fourth century CE. The fact, however, that vessels of the same shape appear in pottery in the fifth and sixth centuries (Hayes, John W. 1972. Late Roman Pottery. London: British School at Rome., pp. 50–51, 82–83; Robinson, Henry S. 1959. Pottery of the Roman Period: Chronology. Athenian Agora V. Princeton, NJ: American School of Classical Studies at Athens., p. 116, no. 349, plate 71), and also in silverware in the sixth century (Boyd, Susan. 1992. “A ‘Metropolitan’ Treasure from a Church in the Provinces: An Introduction to the Study of the Sion Treasure.” In Ecclesiastical Silver Plate in Sixth-Century Byzantium, ed. Susan A. Boyd and Marlia Mundell Mango, 5–38. Washington, DC: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection., p. 29, S44.1, S44.2), makes it quite likely that glass vessels continued to be produced at least during the fifth century, as is also indicated by glass finds from several western Mediterranean sites (Antonaras, Anastassios. 2017. Glassware and Glassworking in Thessaloniki: First Century BC–Sixth Century AD. Oxford: Archaeopress., p. 67, form 18). Published parallels include the following: Harden, Donald Benjamin. 1936. Roman Glass from Karanis Found by the University of Michigan Archaeological Expedition in Egypt, 1924–29. University of Michigan Studies, Humanistic Series, 41. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press., pp. 97, 111, plate XIV; von Saldern, Axel. 1974. Glassammlung Hentrich. Antike und Islam. Düsseldorf: Kunstmuseum., p. 125, no. 164; Fremersdorf, Fritz. 1975. Antikes, islamisches und mittelalterliches Glas, sowie kleinere Arbeiten aus Stein, Gagat und verwandten Stoffen in den Vatikanischen Sammlungen Roms (Museo Sacro, Museo Profano, Museo Egizio, Antiquarium Romanum). Vatican City: Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana., p. 63, no. 576, plate 25; Auth, Susan Handler. 1975. “Roman Glass.” In Christoph Walter Clairmont, Excavations at Salona, Yugoslavia (1969–1972), 145–175. Park Ridge, NJ: Noyes Press., p. 160, nos. 66, 67, plate 32; Platz-Horster, Gertrud. 1976. Antike Gläser: Ausstellung, November 1976–Februar 1977, Antikenmuseum Berlin, Staatliche Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz. Berlin: Antikenmuseum Berlin., p. 88, no. 176; La Baume, Peter, and Jan Willem Salomonson. 1976. Römische Kleinkunst: Sammlung Karl Löffler. Wissenschaftliche Kataloge des Römisch-Germanischen Museums 3. Cologne: Bachem., p. 57, no. 183, plate 25, 4; von Saldern, Axel. 1980. Glas von der Antike bis zum Jugendstil: Sammlung Hans Cohn, Los Angeles/Cal. = Glass 500 B.C. to A.D. 1900: The Hans Cohn Collection, Los Angeles/Cal. Mainz: von Zabern., p. 108, no. 107; Tatton-Brown, Veronica A. 1984. “The Glass.” In Henry R. Hurst and Steve P. Roskams, Excavations at Carthage: The British Mission, vol. 1, part 1, 194–212. Sheffield: University of Sheffield Department of Prehistory and Archaeology., p. 195, no. 10; Duncan-Jones, Janet. 1994. “Glass from the Roman Circus at Carthage: Preliminary Report and Comments on a Fragmentary Roman Head-Shaped Mold-Blown Vessel.” Archeological News 19: 11–14., p. 11; Pastorino, Anna Maria. 2000. “Vetri romani dagli scavi urbani di Albenga.” In Annales du 14e Congrès de l’Association Internationale pour l’Histoire du Verre, Italia/Venezia-Milano, 1998, 108–112. Lochem: AIHV., p. 111, no. 16; Whitehouse, David B. 2001. Roman Glass in the Corning Museum of Glass, vol. 2. Corning, NY: Corning Museum of Glass., p. 141, no. 650.
Provenance
1936, Private Collection [sold, Anderson Galleries, Inc., New York, March 6, 1936, lot 9]; 1940, Harry Leonard Simmons [sold, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, April 5, 1970, lot 107 through French and Co. to J. Paul Getty]; 1940–1976, J. Paul Getty, American, 1892–1976, upon his death, held in trust by the estate; 1976–1978, Estate of J. Paul Getty, American, 1892–1976, distributed to the J. Paul Getty Museum, 1978.
Bibliography
Anderson Galleries. 1936. The Garrett Chatfield Pier Collection of Egyptian Antiquities . . . Greek and Etruscan Pottery, Syro-Roman Glass, Oriental Rugs. Property of Various Owners. Public Sale, March 6–7, 1936, sale cat. New York: American Art Association, Anderson Galleries., lot 9, ill.
Paintings by Contemporary Artists: Brackman, Corbino, Philipp, Pushman, Lebduska, and Other Works by an Older Generation of Artists. Other Art Objects from the Collection of H. Leonard Simmons, New York, Sold by His Order: Public Sale, Paintings, April 4–5, 1940, sale cat. New York: Parke-Bernet Galleries., lot 107, ill.
Stothart, Herbert. 1965. A Handbook of the Sculpture in the J. Paul Getty Museum. Malibu: J. Paul Getty Museum., p. 20, no. F-11.
Lees-Causey, Catherine. 1983. “Some Roman Glass in the J. Paul Getty Museum.” J. Paul Getty Museum Journal 11: 153–157., pp. 153–154, fig. 2.
Exhibitions
None