Lot Essay
Roman strigils made in glass are exceedingly rare and were more probably made as grave goods rather than intended for actual use. For two similar examples found in Cologne and dated to circa 200 A.D. cf. F. Fremersdorf and E. Polónyi-Fremersdorf, 'Die Farblosen Gläser der Frühzeit in Köln 2. und 3. Jahrhundert', Die Denkmäler der Römischen Köln IX, Cologne, 1984, pp. 111-112, nos 248 and 250. Two further examples, where the ends of the handle have been folded back to form a suspension loop are preserved in the Corning Museum of Glass, cf. D. B. Whitehouse, Roman Glass in The Corning Museum of Glass, Vol. III, Corning, 2003, pp. 53-54, nos 974-975.