134 - A GROUP OF TWO ROMAN MOSAIC GLASS FACE BEADS, 1ST CENTURY BC-1ST CENTURY AD

A GROUP OF TWO ROMAN MOSAIC GLASS FACE BEADS, 1ST CENTURY BC-1ST CENTURY AD Both of squat spherical form, each of opaque white glass and decorated with polychrome mosaic elements. One is bisected by a dark blue band set with frontal human masks in white-framed rectangular panels, interspersed with geometric fields quartered in red, green, yellow, and white. The other is similarly ornamented with frontal masks reserved within blue-bordered panels and divided by broad red-and-white bands, with further green and yellow glass inclusions. (2) Provenance: Ex-collection M. B., Hesse, since before 1970, and thence by descent. Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, manufacturing irregularities, small losses and chips, fissures, and minor encrustations. Weight: 2 g and 2.2 g Dimensions: Length 1.7 cm and 1.8 cm Mosaic face beads appear in the first century CE, either as globular beads with a row of faces at the greatest diameter or as flat, round, or square beads. Flat face beads, square in cross section, require only one floret, as opposed to the spherical ones, which can accommodate between two and eight, with most having four faces in a single row spanning the mid-section of the bead, usually arranged in an alternating pattern with florets featuring geometrical motifs. The face beads were not necessarily produced in the same workshops where the mosaic canes were produced. The canes, intact or cut into florets, may have been sold to other workshops, operating either nearby or farther afield. Mosaic glass quite often is ascribed to Alexandrian or other Egyptian workshops, but no glass workshops for this kind of product have been found, so this hypothesis remains unproven. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related glass mosaic face bead, Early Imperial, dated 1 st century BC-1 st century AD, 1.3 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 52.11.16. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s New York, 7 December 2011, lot 412 Price: USD 6,250 or approx. EUR 8,200 (for two) converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: Two Roman mosaic glass face beads, circa 1 st century AD Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, faces, style, and size (1.27 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams London, 13 April 2011, lot 320 Price: GBP 3,360 or approx. EUR 6,000 (for one) converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A Roman mosaic glass face bead, circa 1st century BC-AD Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling, faces, style, and size (1.2 cm).