150 - A ROMAN GREEN GLASS FISH FLASK, 2ND-4TH CENTURY AD

A ROMAN GREEN GLASS FISH FLASK, 2ND-4TH CENTURY AD Roman Empire, probably Syro-Palestinian region. Free-blown in transparent pale green glass, the flattened ovoid body finely tooled into the form of a fish, tapering to a short cylindrical neck at one end and drawn out at the opposite end into a narrow projection. A finely applied thread winds around the body in closely spaced spirals, creating a delicate ribbed effect suggestive of the fish's scales. Provenance: With Gawain McKinley, Ancient and Decorative Arts, London, United Kingdom. The private collection of Sylvan and Joan Schefler, New York, United States, acquired from the above on 26 June 1987. A copy of the invoice from Gawain McKinley, dated 26 June 1987, confirming the dating above, accompanies this lot. Gawain McKinley (1945-1996) was a British art dealer, connoisseur, and collector based in London, specializing primarily in ancient glass, glazed wares, and antiquities. Sylvan Schefler (1938-2025) and Joan Schefler were an American couple known for their involvement in finance, media, philanthropy, and the Cornell University alumni community. They assembled a carefully curated collection of ancient glass, principally during the 1980s and 1990s, traveling widely and acquiring through dealers and auctions while developing close familiarity with museum collections. Their collection was particularly notable for unusual variants of established ancient glass forms. Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Expected wear and manufacturing irregularities, small bubbles, natural fissures, minor surface deposits and encrustations, and areas of attractive iridescence. An old repair to the claw of the stand. Weight: 14 g (excl. stand), 36.7 g (incl. stand) Dimensions: Length 10 cm (excl. stand), 11.1 cm (incl. stand) With an associated stand. (2) Roman glassmakers produced an extraordinary variety of vessels, ranging from simple utilitarian containers to highly inventive zoomorphic forms. Fish-shaped flasks belong to a particularly rare group, likely produced in the eastern Mediterranean, especially the Syro-Palestinian region. Their precise function remains uncertain, although examples have plausibly been interpreted as containers for garum, the fermented fish sauce ubiquitous in Roman cuisine, perhaps intended for pouring directly at the table. Literature comparison: Compare a related free-blown fish-shaped flask, dated to the second quarter of the 2 nd to the mid-3 rd century AD, attributed to the Syro-Palestinian region, 21 cm long, in the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, accession number 2003.439, also published in Antonaras, Anastassios (2025) Ancient Glass in the J. Paul Getty Museum, cat. 276. Compare a related Roman pale blue-green glass bottle in the shape of a fish, dated to the 4 th century AD, 11.7 cm long, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, United States, object number 17.194.135. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams London, United Kingdom, 23 October 2013, lot 73 Price: GBP 20,000 or approx. EUR 34,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A Roman green glass fish flask Expert remark: Compare the closely related Roman fish-shaped glass vessel and green glass medium. Note the larger size (15 cm) and applied fins.