Oldest piece of fancy identifiable glass ever found -17th century

[smokeythecat]

I found this two weeks ago, not today, three feet underground in a 17th century trash pit, which still needs to be dug out. I saw another small piece of the bottle, but it was muddy and hard to dig I could not retrieve it. While only a fragment, I was able to get a 100% positive identification on it. It is a piece of retorti a penne Venetian glass, made before 1700 in Venice, Italy. It probably started out life as a glass snuff bottle. I found one for sale with the same pattern and it was about $6,000.00 complete! Wow! Guess I won't be buying that!

Anyway, I'm happy with the fragment and when it warms up will go back to that house site and dig 'em up. It now lives in a small case all by itself. The next few days will be days of sorting and labeling all the new toys. The whole snuff bottle would only have been about 4" tall.

BTW that oldest piece of glass I ever found!

 

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[villagenut]

Hopefully you will find enough shards to reassemble.....you just never know. I always hold onto pieces like this, they are part of the site's story.

 

[Inspector]

very cool find and great history, congrats and good luck

 

[Yak1366]

Very cool find, congrats!!!

 

[uglymailman]

Aw Smokey, I love your posts but must bust your bubble. Westfront & Cru have both found Roman glass so your's is not the oldest glass ever found. Cool dig though. Good luck.

 

[smokeythecat]

I corrected the original post, oldest glass I ever found. Now ceramics, I have older stuff from the US in the form of a bellarmine neck.

 

[OreElse]

Wow that's an interesting piece!

 

[diggerranger]

[emoji106][emoji106] Great find

 

[Hawks88]

Nice find. Congrats

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Awesome glass with some interesting history, congrats!

Wouldn't it be cool if you found the rest of the bottle.

 

[RVRoamer73]

I barely know my ABC's...let alone glass....but cool none the less. Congrats!!

 

[Cal_Cobra]

Nice work, looking forward to the rest of the story

 

[smokeythecat]

Well, when the ground gets a little dryer, if that ever happens, it's raining again, well, I saw 1 more bit in the hole but it was so blasted muddy I couldn't grab it. I would like to get the rest or most of it. Even if I got the whole thing, it would just be a curiosity piece. With this old stuff, condition if everything regarding $$$ value, but since I don't really sell, it is kinda irrelevant.

 

[A2coins]

Nice piece Smokey seems muddy might be best for getting the bottle out only it would be hard to see what you were digging.. good luck!!!!!

 

[Joe-Dirt]

Very cool Smoke, I hope you can dig the rest of it, restore it and post some pictures.

 

[smokeythecat]

I doubt it would restore, even if it's all in the hole. That glass is paper thin. I saw some repros in another color, stuff is pretty.

 

[smokeythecat]

Well, we went back for a two day dig. A very hard dig. Two more pieces were found in the hole, 20" deep! View attachment IMG_1541.jpg