A Roman Blue Glass Bottle, circa 1st century A.D.

Louis-Gabriel Bellon (1819-1899), Saint-Nicolas-lez-Arras

French private collection, by descent from the above (Jacques-Philippe Ruellan, Vannes, April 4th, 2009, no. 122, part)

acquired by the present owner at the above sale

Louis-Gabriel Bellon (1819-1899) was a French archaeologist, painter and passionate collector of antiquities. He had a particular interest in ancient glass and the so-called 'Tanagra' draped figurines of the Hellenistic period, and amassed one of the largest collections of Greek antiquities in 19th-century Europe. After his death, much of his collection was housed in a purpose-built museum in Bellon’s hometown of Saint-Nicolas-lez-Arras. The museum was destroyed during the First World War, but much of the collection survived and was kept by Bellon’s family privately for the remainder of the 20th century. Large parts of the collection were sold at auction in 2009 and 2021, with 37 pieces acquired by the Louvre across the two sales.