Bronze Olpe with Thumb

Culture: Roman

Period: 1st century A.D.

Material: Bronze

Dimensions: 18.7 cm high

Price: 3 600 Euro

Ref: 3534

Provenance: Private collection Tel Aviv, Israel, acquired in the 1980s from a New York gallery. Last in the collection of E. B., New York.

Condition: One side with encrustation, but the vessel is intact with a beautiful dark green patina.

Description: Roman bronze olpe dating to the period of the Roman Empire with a biconical corpus, flat base and a flat, far pulled out rim. In the upper part two engraved encircling bands. The short, separately worked out handle depicts a braid decoration and ends in a thumb-rest, which also is in a form of a thumb. Together with the handle a decorative bronze element with two large and two small volutes is cast, which was soldered on the rim of the vessel. A rare type.