Roman, early Imperial Period, ca. 1st century CE. A stunning mold-formed beaker made from colorless glass with a green-hued tinge. The translucent vessel is composed of a flat base with six stylized lines radiating around a concentric circle, a gently-flaring profile with thin walls, a deep interior cavity, and a splayed, lightly-ground rim. Five rows of raised lotus bud and hemispherical patterns encircle the body, hence the vessel's designation as a "lotus bud" beaker. Faint areas of silvery and rainbow-hued iridescence complement the vessel's pale verdant coloration, imbuing it with an opulent appearance. Typical lotus bud beakers display only the teardrop-shaped buds, so the secondary dotted motif makes this an elaborate and extremely rare example. Size: 2.625" W x 4.2" H (6.7 cm x 10.7 cm). Most scholars agree, Roman glass was of the highest quality - both aesthetically and technically - among the ancients. While glass making had been practiced for centuries, glass blowing was invented in the Roman-controlled Holy Land in the 1st century BCE. This innovative technology revolutionized the artform. We can appreciate such a wide variety of forms and shapes, because the medium of glass has unique physical properties that make for so many more possibilities which would eventually replace a wide variety of pottery and metal wares in the ancient world. Roman glassmakers reached incredible artistic heights with both free-blown vessels and mold blown forms and decorations and were traded far beyond the Roman Empire. Roman glass vessels have been found in Scandinavia, India, and in Han Dynasty tombs in China. Published in "Solid Liquid: Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic Glass." Fortuna Fine Arts, Ltd., 1999, p. 73, fig. 126. For a similar example, please see the Corning Museum of Glass, accession number 79.1.96: https://www.cmog.org/artwork/knobbed-or-lotus-bud-beaker-0 A similar example hammered for GBP 2,000 ($2,665.96) at Christie's, London, South Kensington Antiquities Auction (sale 6060, April 14, 2011, lot 183): https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/a-roman-pale-green-glass-lotus-bud-5425353-details.aspx Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #135625