Bowl

Bowl of purplish translucent matrix; ribbed on the outside with opaque distorted spirals in millefiori technique. Slightly iridescent. Said to have been found in northwest Iran.

Historical period(s)
Roman Period, late 1st century BCE-late 4th century CE
Medium
Glass
Dimensions
H x Diam: 5.2 x 17.5 cm (2 1/16 x 6 7/8 in)
Geography
Egypt, Possibly Alexandria
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1965.16
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Glass, Vessel
Type

Bowl

Keywords
Egypt, iridescence, Roman Period (30 BCE - 395 CE)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Bowl of purplish translucent matrix; ribbed on the outside with opaque distorted spirals in millefiori technique. Slightly iridescent. Said to have been found in northwest Iran.

Label

This bowl is an example of mold-pressing technique. To insure clarity in details such as the ribs radiating from the center of the base and extending up to the horizontal band along the rim, viscous glass was pressed into the mold cavity. The tooling marks evident on the rim are characteristic of bowls made by this technique.

Published References
  • untitled article. vol. 8. pp. 128-129.
Collection Area(s)
Ancient Egyptian Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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