“vitae brevitas homo vitro fragilior. Nonne fragilior sumus,quam si vitrei essemus? Vitrum enim etsi fragile est, tamen servatum diu durat: et invenis calices ab avis et proavis, in quibus bibunt nepotes et pronepotes, tanta fragilitas custodia est per annos”. “The life of man is frailer than glass. Would we be frailer if we were glass? For, even if glass is fragile, yet, if cared for, it lasts a long time, and you find grandsons and great-grandsons drinking out of the cups of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers. Such fragile objects have been preserved throughout the years. (St. Augustine, Sermo 18.7”). Culture: Roman. Date: 1st - 2nd Century A.D. Material: Glass. Condition: Intact, superb, with excellent iridescence. Provenance: American private collection. Measurements: 2 inches high (5 cms), 4.25 inches in diameter (4.8 cms). Of pale blue glass, it has an outsplayed rim with rounded lip, wall falls intro a steep S- shaped curve, the foot is splayed and tubular. Excessive iridescence and exceptionally pleasing example. Our vast inventory of ancient art includes one of the finest and most comprehensive ancient glass collections ever assembled; it includes nearly every variety of pre-Roman, Roman, and Eastern Mediterranean ancient glass. If you have any specific inquiries, please let us know. Cf: Corning, Vol.I, no. 104, pp. 79-80

Antiquities
Ancient Roman