BONHAMS LONDON HAS RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK THAT THEY HAVE IDENTIFIED A MAGNIFICENT ROMAN CAMEO GLASS VASE WHICH MAY, THEY CLAIM, BE THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ITS KIND IN THE WORLD. A SPOKESPERSON FOR BONHAMS SAID: "IT IS OF MAJOR INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE. ACADEMICALLY AND ARTISTICALLY IT IS PRICELESS. SCHOLARS WILL BE EVALUATING THIS FIND FOR DECADES." THE VASE DATES FROM BETWEEN LATE FIRST CENTURY BC TO EARLY FIRST CENTURY AD AND STANDS 33.5cm HIGH. ONLY 15 OTHER ROMAN CAMEO VASES AND PLAQUES ARE KNOWN TO EXIST TODAY. THESE VERY RARE VESSELS WERE HIGHLY ARTISTIC, LUXURY ITEMS, PRODUCED BY THE ROMAN EMPIRE'S MOST SKILLED CRAFTSMEN. THEY ARE FORMED FROM TWO LAYERS OF GLASS, COBALT BLUE WITH A LAYER OF WHITE ON TOP, WHICH IS CUT DOWN AFTER COOLING TO CREATE THE CAMEO-STYLE DECORATION. ITEMS OF THIS KIND WERE PRODUCED, IT IS THOUGH, WITHIN A PERIOD OF ONLY TWO GENERATIONS. THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN OWNED BY DISTINGUISHED ROMAN FAMILIES. UNTIL NOW, THE MOST FAMOUS EXAMPLE HAS BEEN THE PORTLAND VASE, HELD BY THE BRITISH MUSEUM. THE RECENTLY IDENTIFIED VASE IS ALSO MORE COMPLEX THAN OTHERS OF ITS KIND, BEING DECORATED WITH AROUND 30 FIGURES AND A BATTLE SCENE AROUND ITS LOWER REGISTER. BY COMPARISON, THE PORTLAND VASE HAS JUST SEVEN FIGURES. BONHAMS' EXPERTS BELIEVE THAT THIS MAGNIFICENT ARTIFACT COULD REWRITE HISTORY BOOKS ON CAMEO VASES. UNLIKE THE PORTLAND VASE, IT STILL HAS ITS BASE AND LOWER REGISTER AND WILL THEREFORE ADD SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THESE VESSELS.
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