Ancient Eastern Mediterranean Glass Amphoriskos
- Item No.
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Item Details
- Height:
2 1/2; 3 5/8 on stan Inches - Period:
Pre-18th Century - Origin:
Other Europe
A rare and important treasure from ancient civilization, this glass amphoriskos, or small jug, encompasses both beauty and history. Boasting double handles, a flared mouth and a base knob, this delicate container displays intricate, zigzag yellow and turquoise threads against a background of deep blue. Typically about four inches high, amphoriskoi were often used to hold oils and perfumes. Glass from this time period is some of the first glass ever made. To find one of these tiny vessels in complete, intact condition is quite extraordinary.
Such bottles were common in the sixth and fifth centuries B.C.E., and were made by core-forming, almost certainly the earliest method used for manufacturing glass vessels. During this process, a core of sand and dung was modeled into the desired shape, attached to a cane and dipped into molten glass, then rolled on a flat surface to obtain a smooth finish. Though many decorative techniques were used, the most common was the application of different colored threads of glass trailed around the vessel while it was still hot and marvered, or rolled, into place. When the piece was finished and cooled, the core was removed. Core-forming remained the predominant way of making small vessels of various shapes until about the first century B.C.E.
Provenance:
with Archaeology, Tel Aviv, 1974.
Circa late 6th-early 5th century B.C.E.
2 ½" high; 3 5/8" on stand
Such bottles were common in the sixth and fifth centuries B.C.E., and were made by core-forming, almost certainly the earliest method used for manufacturing glass vessels. During this process, a core of sand and dung was modeled into the desired shape, attached to a cane and dipped into molten glass, then rolled on a flat surface to obtain a smooth finish. Though many decorative techniques were used, the most common was the application of different colored threads of glass trailed around the vessel while it was still hot and marvered, or rolled, into place. When the piece was finished and cooled, the core was removed. Core-forming remained the predominant way of making small vessels of various shapes until about the first century B.C.E.
Provenance:
with Archaeology, Tel Aviv, 1974.
Circa late 6th-early 5th century B.C.E.
2 ½" high; 3 5/8" on stand
