Sale 1314
New York
|
11 December 2003
THE PROPERTY OF A MARYLAND FINE ARTS PROFESSOR
Price realised
USD 17,925
Estimate
A ROMAN GLASS GAMING DIE Circa 2nd Century A.D. Deep blue-green in color, the large twenty-sided die incised with a distinct symbol on each of its faces 2 1/16 in. (5.2 cm.) wide
Provenance
Acquired by the current owner's father in Egypt in the 1920s.
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Several polyhedra in various materials with similar symbols are known from the Roman period. Modern scholarship has not yet established the game for which these dice were used.
Pre-Lot Text
Ahead of Christie's inaugural European Paintings auction on 31 October, Arne Everwijn discusses Courbet’s radical nudes
Christie’s Islamic Art specialist Xavier Fournier explains all you need to know about these exquisite embroidered panels