Rock crystal was highly valued in the Roman world. Empress Livia, the wife of Augustus, is said to have dedicated a block weighing 150lbs on Rome’s Capitoline Hill, while, according to Pliny, a wealthy Roman woman paid 150,000 sestertii for a single rock crystal dipper.
TimeLine Auctions’ February 21-25 sale in London features this Roman rock crystal vessel, which would have held precious materials such as ground incense. In the shape of a hydria, the 5in (12.5cm) high piece is carved with a tiered foot and features integral loop handles to the shoulder and a strap handle with palmette detailing. The silver-gilt lid and chain is a 17th or 18th century addition. The vessel comes from the property of a European collector and, before 1971, was with the ancient glass collector Gawain McKinley. Estimate £20,000-30,000.