A stunning Ancient Roman beaker lamp, blown from translucent glass with a light blue-green colouring. The vessel features a tapering body, slightly conical in shape, which flares upwards to meet a wide mouth and a slightly everted rim. The lamp sits on a dimpled circular base. Faint wheel-cut lines encircle the middle of the body and the mouth below the rim. Traces of iridescence to the surface of the glass. Earthly encrustations and signs of wear as consistent with age to the surface. Pinprick bubbles are visible throughout. Very minor chipping to the rim. As in the modern day, glassware in antiquity was considered an art form, with the best pieces were valued higher than wares made from precious metals. By the 1st century AD, the technique of glass-blowing had revolutionised the art of glass-making, allowing for the production of small medicine, incense, and perfume containers in new forms. The beaker did not appear before the Roman period, and it only began to be manufactured for everyday use with the invention of glassblowing. Roman beakers were usually plain, but some were decorated. In addition to functioning as drinking vessels, they also served as containers for various kinds of foods and ointments, as well as often serving as lamps. Like other utilitarian vessels, the beakers exhibited the same shapes over a long period of time, and they were probably manufactured in a number of production centres, not merely one. Measurements: (circa) H 8cm x W 8.2cm Provenance: From an important collection of glass, London, UK, 1990s.