Roman

Blue Splashware Cup. Unknown, Roman, A.D. 1–100. Free-Blown Glass, 4 13/16 in. high x 5 11/16 in. diam. 2003.290. The J. Paul Getty Trust © J. Paul Getty Trust. In the environs of Jerusalem, in about 50 B.C., glassmakers discovered they could inflate glass into a bubble at the end of a tube. This new glassblowing technique allowed glassmakers to produce vessels so quickly and cheaply that glass containers began to replace clay ones for household use. Blown-glass vessels were decorated using a variety of techniques—pinching,... [Lire la suite]

Lotus Bud Beaker. Unknown. Roman, Eastern Mediterranean, 1st century A.D. Mold-blown glass, 8 3/8 in. 2003.320. The J. Paul Getty Trust © J. Paul Getty Trust. In about 25 B.C. glassmakers began to create decorative vessels, such as this cup, by blowing glass into a mold with incised designs. Mold fragments of stone, clay, bronze, and plaster have survived from antiquity. The earliest makers of molds for glassware may have been ceramists familiar with constructing molds for clay vessels. Mold designs often incorporated decorative... [Lire la suite]

Amber Bowl with White Ridges. Unknown, Roman, A.D. 1–100. Glass, 4 1/16 in. diam. 2003.475. The J. Paul Getty Trust © J. Paul Getty Trust. Casting is a technique of pouring hot glass into a mold. After the glass cools, glassmakers use various grinding and cutting techniques to refine the vessel's form and decoration. Decorative patterns are sometimes cut into the sides with a cutting wheel. Bowls were the most common cast vessels. Pendants, inlays, and other small objects were also created using this technique. This bowl has two... [Lire la suite]

Bowl with Blue and White Canes. Unknown. Greek or Roman, 100–1 B.C. Glass, 2 1/16 in. high x 4 in. diam. 2004.24. The J. Paul Getty Trust © J. Paul Getty Trust. Mosaic glass vessels are among the most colorful ancient containers. They were formed by fusing numerous slices or ribbons (lengths) of cane in molds until they melted together into a swirl of colors, as seen on this blue and white bowl.Multicolored canes and figural compositions for plaques and beads were made by layering different colors and manipulating them into... [Lire la suite]

The Stowe Rosso Antico Obelisco della Minerva. Roman, c. 1800. Rosso antico marble. Height: 73.5 cm. Asking price: in the region of £40,000. Tomasso Brothers Fine Art.  LONDON.- London Art Week, 4 to 11 July 2014, a week-long celebration of paintings, drawings and sculpture in Mayfair and St James’s, has proved to be a winning formula with dealers reporting significant sales and important international visitors.  Many of the dealers staged special exhibitions and Tomasso Brothers Fine Art brought the Grand Tour to town,... [Lire la suite]

Porphyry vessel with bearded masks. Roman, Early Imperial, 1st‒early 2nd century A.D. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Purchase, Acquisitions Fund, The Jaharis Family Foundation Inc. Gift, Philippe de Montebello Fund, Philodoroi and Renée E. and Robert A. Belfer Gifts, The Bothmer Purchase Fund, and Mr. and Mrs. John A. Moran, Nicholas S. Zoullas, Patricia and Marietta Fried, Jeannette and Jonathan Rosen, Aso O. Tavitian, Leon Levy Foundation, and Barbara and Donald Tober Gifts, 2014 (2014.215). Image: © The Metropolitan Museum of... [Lire la suite]

  Sir Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), Study (tronie) of an Old Man, c. 1615-1618. Oil on panel, 48 x 37.5 cm. The Weiss Gallery. LONDON -  London Art Week (LAW), launched last year, is the platform that unites Master Drawings and Sculpture Week and Master Paintings Week. This collaboration, which proved so successful in 2013 resulting in major sales, brings together some fifty specialist dealers across the fine art disciplines and three major London auction houses. London Art Week illustrates the... [Lire la suite]

Unknown, Pair of figurative 'Lucernae' or oil lamps, depicting Achelous, Roman, 2nd century A.D. Photo courtesy Axel Vervoordt Bronze; 30 x 31 x 32 cm Provenance: Private collection M.P., Nashville, Tennessee, since 2003;Acquired on the American art market. Axel Vervoordt (stand 424) at TEFAF 2014. 14-23 march 2014 - http://www.tefaf.com/

Aphrodite Ourania Monumental female statue standing on a Swan, Roman, 1st - 2nd century A.D. Photo courtesy Axel Vervoordt Marble.Measurements: 115 x 65 x 55 cm Provenance: Sir Daniel Donohue collection, California, before 1968. The collection was begun by the oil and cement tycoon Daniel Murphy in the nineteenth century and inherited by his daughter and son-in-law, Sir Daniel Donohue and Countess Bernardine, who continued to add to the family collection.The sculpture comes accompanied by a copy of a photograph of the figure in... [Lire la suite]

Aphrodite of the Gardens, 1st century A.D., Roman. Photo courtesy Axel Vervoordt Provenance: French private collection, acquired c. 1980; Bought from Jean-Philippe Mariaud de Serres, Paris. Condition: With a superb original archaeological patina and calcification. Since the late ‘60s, Axel Vervoordt acquired a strong reputation as an antique dealer and art connoisseur. This family-run business, based in Kanaal, near Antwerp in Belgium, has grown into an international company dealing in art and antiques, interior design... [Lire la suite]