Ancient Sculpture and Works of Art Part II
Ancient Sculpture and Works of Art Part II
The Property of a Gentleman
A Romano-Egyptian Group of Millefiori and Mosaic Glass Beads, circa 1st Century B.C./4th Century A.D.
Lot Closed
December 7, 10:43 AM GMT
Estimate
8,000 - 12,000 GBP
Lot Details
Description
The Property of a Gentleman
A Romano-Egyptian Group of Millefiori and Mosaic Glass Beads
circa 1st Century B.C./4th Century A.D.
strung as a necklace, including faceted cylindrical beads with floral motifs, two ovoid beads with opaque yellow and red eyes in a translucent green matrix, and a large biconical bead with feather pattern, the gold spacer beads probably of later origin.
length 43.2 cm.
Dr. Goddard Dubois, San Diego
Sotheby's, London, June 3rd, 2015, no. 64, illus.
acquired by the present owner at the above sale
One of the most intricate glasswork techniques first used by the ancient Egyptians is known as "millefiori," which translates in Italian to “a thousand flowers” for its intricate polychrome effect. The term "millefiori" covers any repeating radially symmetrical motif made with mosaic glass, including concentric circles, rosettes and diamonds. For a related example to the present lot in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, see https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/255762.