Cast bronze single-handled vessel of thick-walled construction, featuring a ribbed loop handle terminating in a heart-shaped escutcheon and an everted rim with beaded decoration. The form and handle treatment are characteristic of Roman provincial bronze tableware and are consistent with vessels used for serving wine, water, or other liquids. The surface retains an attractive archaeological green malachite patina with areas of cuprite and mineral encrustation, indicative of long-term burial.
Examples of comparable Roman bronze vessels have been recovered from archaeological sites throughout the Roman Empire, including the eastern Mediterranean and Asia Minor. While often referred to as a kyathos, this vessel represents a broader class of Roman single-handled bronze serving vessels produced between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD.
Height: 4 in. (10 cm).Provenance: Property from an important private collection, assembled by a dealer and collector over more than six decades.
