A ROMAN GOLD-GLASS FRAGMENT

CIRCA 4TH CENTURY A.D.

Details

A ROMAN GOLD-GLASS FRAGMENT
circa 4th century a.d.
Transparent green in color, preserving half of the base-disk of a bowl with an incised gold-leaf portrait of a man wearing a tunic and toga contabulata, an inscription above reading: ...NIFAZTA, and the letters B and T framing his head
4 in. (10.2 cm) wide

Literature

Sangiorgi, Collezione di Vetri Antichi, no. 166, pl XXXIII.

Lot Essay

The full scene was likely the portraits of a married couple. Such vessels are thought to have been made for weddings or anniversaries. For similar examples see nos. 155-157 in Harden, et al., Glass of the Caesars.

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