Parcel gilt flask or finial
The shape is a miniature version of the large ceramic oil or wine containers with a pointed bottom for setting them in sand at the cargo hold of a ship. That would suggest a similar use for this object as a small flask. However, an almost identical object in a private collection is described as a furniture terminal (see: Spier, J., Treasures of the Ferrell Collection, Wiesbaden, 2010, p.292, cat.213)
Origin
Constantinople or Eastern Mediterranean
Date
Late Roman-Early Christian period, 6th-7th century
Height: 11 cm
Weight: 39 g
Provenance
Haddad Brothers