Rare survivor of fragile ancient glass with an excessively rare Christian motif: Lovely aqua colored glass beaker with tapered sides, slightly flared ground rim, and flat concentric ring base. In excellent condition with minor ancient rim flakes. (60 x 82 mm – 2 3/8 x 3 1/4 inches)
Notably, the glass is embellished with a wide exterior band having a wheel-cut decoration consisting of a repeating pattern of fifteen crosses within an interlocking arch pattern!
The shape and form of this beaker is similar to Roman glass forms of the third and fourth century, but the motif places it in the iconoclastic period of Byzantine art.
Provenance: Howard Rose gallery, ex private NYC collection.
