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bottle

Object NameBottle

Made FromGlass, Gilding, Enamel

Date1300-1399

Place Madepossibly Damascus

Techniqueblown, applied, gilded, enameled

SizeOverall H: 13.2 cm, Diam (max): 14.7 cm

Accession Number52.1.84

Credit LineH. (surviving) 13.2 cm, D. (lower neck) 3.9 cm, (max.) 14.7 cm

Curatorial Area(s)

Early Modern

Not On View

Physical DescriptionAlmost colorless, with yellowish tinge and many bubbles, and opaque turquoise; gilding and opaque enamels: red, blue, light green, olive green, yellow, and white. Blown; applied; gilded and enameled. Bottle: roughly biconical. Lower neck cylindrical; wall curves out and down to greatest diameter just above mid-point, then curves in and tapers; splayed tubular foot made by folding; underside of base is slightly concave; two superimposed pontil marks. Two small scars near bottom of neck, and possible trace of third scar, may indicate former presence of three equidistant handles or applied decoration. Upper wall has remains of six equidistant applied elements: (1, 3, and 5) solid vertical forms made by applying trail, drawing it down over surface, then pulling glass upward and tooling it to resemble duck; (2, 4, and 6) vertical handles made by applying trail, drawing it out, down, and in, then pulling glass upward; tops of handles pinched, with traces of turquoise “finial.” Handles are below scars at bottom of neck. Gilded and enameled decoration covers neck and upper body. All decoration is outlined in red, rather sketchily. Registers have borders consisting of two parallel red lines, as do medallions. In registers and borders, all surfaces that have no enamel appear to have been gilded. Lower neck has trace of register with linear decoration in red above narrow register with indeterminate ornament on blue background. On upper wall: one broad upper register and one narrow lower register. Upper register is punctuated by ducks and handles, all of which are contained in narrow obovate frames that are rounded at top and pointed at bottom; those containing ducks have tops below upper border, while those containing handles have tops at upper border. Between each pair of frames is one trefoil flower with red petals at sides and light green petal at top (red petals have white stripes and green petal has yellow dot); background is filled with gilding and linear red scrolls; in one area, scrolls are enlivened with olive green spots. Lower register had six circular medallions (five survive), each containing two birds, one on top of other, on blue background; birds may represent falcons attacking prey or roosters mating with hens. Between each pair of medallions, schematic vegetal scrolls.
Provenance

Source Khahil Rabenou - 1952-11-12