CIRCA 1ST CENTURY A.D.

Around the body of this magnificent bowl is a Greek inscription reading: “Rejoice in that at which you are present.” The inscription is framed by thin horizontal ribs, with bands of stylized foliate motifs above and below, and another above the foot. Bowls of similar shape and featuring the same inscription, but with a frieze of tongues above the foot, were first studied by D.B. Harden (see “Romano-Syrian Glasses with Mould-Blown Inscriptions,” in The Journal of Roman Studies 25, pp. 173-175). They are thought to have been made in a workshop on the coast of Syria, perhaps associated with the glassmaker Ennion. Similar bowls have been found in many locations bordering the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, including Asia Minor, Cyprus, Greece, South Russia, Italy and North Africa.