bottle
Object NameBottle
Made FromGlass
Date900-1099
Place Madeprobably Persia
TechniqueBlown, facet-cut, linear-cut, slant-cut, perhaps filed
SizeOverall H: 21.7 cm; Shoulder Diam: 12.5 cm; Base Diam: 9 cm
Accession Number55.1.128
Curatorial Area(s)
Exhibitions
Glass from the Ancient World
Verres Antiques de la Collection R.W. Smith
On ViewAncient Gallery
Physical DescriptionTransparent deep blue, with small bubbles and sand impurities. Blown (body probably blown in dip mold); facet-, linear-, and slant-cut, and perhaps filed. Bottle with roughly cylindrical body. Rim (probably not original: see below) ground flat; neck cylindrical and wider at bottom than at top; shoulder almost flat but slightly higher at junction with neck, and with rounded edge; wall straight and tapering; base plain; pontil mark roughly circular (D. 1.7-2.1 cm). Neck, shoulder, and wall have wheel-cut and probably filed ornament. On neck, four narrow friezes separated by single grooves (W. 0.3 cm, Depth 0.1 cm), from top to bottom: (1) eight vertical rectangular facets (H. 1.6 cm, W. 0.6 cm); (2) 12 contiguous rhomboids (H. 1.1 cm, W. 0.7 cm) forming continuous zigzag, with one short horizontal cut in each triangular area between zigzag and upper and lower borders; (3) as (2), with uppermost angles of zigzag below lowest angles of zigzag in frieze (2); (4) 11 vertical rectangular facets (H. 1.5 cm, W. 1.0-1.2 cm). On shoulder: three concentric grooves and, at junction with wall, continuous band of 16 horizontal oval facets. On wall, extending from just below band of facets to near base, and bordered at top and bottom by single horizontal grooves, kufic inscription, (wa salam wa iqbal wa dawla, "and well-being and prosperity, and power;" field contains palmettes, other vegetal motifs, and countersunk dots.Provenance
Source
Ray Winfield Smith
(American, 1897-1982) - 1955-12-13
