Images(2)

drinking horn

Object NameDrinking Horn

Made FromGlass, Stain

Date701-899

TechniqueBlown, applied, stained

SizeOverall L: 21.5 cm; Rim Diam: 5.9 cm

Accession Number69.1.4

Curatorial Area(s)

Ancient

Exhibitions

Les Tresors Fatimides du Caire

The Art of Glass: Masterpieces from The Corning Museum of Glass

Glass of the Sultans

Treasures from The Corning Museum of Glass

Interpretive Notes

Web Text

The first painters of glass in the Islamic world applied a brownish or yellowish metallic pigment on bowls, dishes, and other objects. The decoration usually consists of animal or vegetal motifs, sometimes accompanied by inscriptions. By applying pigments to both sides of these objects, glassmakers could highlight details or exploit the transparency of the glass to produce subtle shading effects. This object is a drinking horn with a large applied handle. Its shape is obviously derived from the use of animals’ horns for drinking. Glass horns were made by the Romans in the first century A.D., and horns of silver and ivory had been created by Achaemenian and Parthian artists in Iran before that time. However, in the Islamic world, such vessels never became popular in any medium. Only three Islamic glass horns are known, and this is the earliest example.

Place Made

probably Egypt

Physical DescriptionDrinking Horn. Colorless glass; blown, handle applied, decoration stained with lustre. Drinking horn with plain rim, thickened rounded lip; upper wall straight, with slight taper; lower wall curves down and out, and continues to taper terminating in bulb, which is solid except for small, tear-shaped bubble at center; no pontil mark. Single handle with circular cross section dropped onto upper wall, drawn out, vertically down, and in, and reattached to wall just below mid-point, with excess glass drawn up along its side. Decorated on body and handle with transparent greenish yellow and transparent to translucent yellowish brown lustre. On body, three continuous horizontal bands of ornament (from top to bottom): (1) bordered immediately below rim by broad yellow band above narrow brown band, three large, upward-pointing motifs resembling urns containing foliage, with additional foliage on either side of foot, alternating with two smaller, downward-pointing motifs resembling suspended garlands, with two even smaller vegetal motifs above and below upper handle attachment, all in brown or brown and yellow; (2) bordered at top by yellow band between two narrow brown bands, three upward-pointing trumpet-shaped vegetal motifs alternating with three vertical lines accompanied by dots and other small elements, in brown or brown and yellow; (3) bordered at top by yellow band between two narrow brown bands, five long, tear-shaped motifs and other small elements, again in brown and yellow; bulb painted yellow; handle painted brown and yellow. Glass contains tiny spherical and elongated bubbles.
Provenance

Provenance Remark

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