Gorgeous Greek Glass Core-Form Alabastron

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Fine Antiquities/Ethnographic Art

By Artemis Gallery

Jul 19, 2018

Set Reminder 2018-07-19 10:00:00 2018-07-19 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Fine Antiquities/Ethnographic Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/fine-antiquities-ethnographic-art-3329
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• Lot Description
  Ancient Greece, Classical period, ca. late 6th to early 5th century BCE. A stunning opaque glass alabastron with a simple presentation and fabulous coloration. The elegant and gently-tapering body has a rounded base, smooth walls, a pair of petite suspension loops, a narrow neck, and a dark-ringed discoid neck. Gorgeous tooled translucent purple zigzag-trail patterns coil around the body with an applied rigaree trail beneath. Age and environmental conditions have altered the amethyst hue into a dark espresso color on one half. Faint areas of rainbow-hued iridescence radiate across the creamy-white composition, making it an exquisite example replete with impeccable form, beautiful coloration, and sophisticated technique. Custom lucite display stand included. Size: 1" W x 3.75" H (2.5 cm x 9.5 cm); 4.3" H (10.9 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  The alabastron is a long-bodied vessel with a rounded bottom, a cylindrical neck, and a flat disk for a mouth. Though usually without handles, some alabastra have eyes or lugs, like this example. According to the Beazley Archive of the University of Oxford, the alabastron shape's history extends back to Corinth, but was only preserved in Athenian pottery examples back to the mid-sixth century BCE. Alabastra were created in many materials, including alabaster, and the Greek term for this stone - alabastron (most likely of Egyptian origin) - was the source of inspiration for the name of this shaped vessel. Many examples were finished with a white ground, as if to imitate this stone. We know from vase painting imagery of women using alabastra following a bath, that these vessels most likely held perfumed oils.
  
  According to the Corning Museum of Glass, core forming is "the technique of forming a vessel by winding or gathering molten glass around a core supported by a rod. After forming, the object is removed from the rod and annealed. After annealing, the core is removed by scraping." (https://www.cmog.org/glass-dictionary/core-forming). This process of glass making was begun in the late 16th century BCE by glassmakers of Mesopotamia, and then adopted by Egyptian glassmakers in the 15th century BCE. The technique almost came to an end in the so-called Dark Ages of Mediterranean civilization (1200 to 900 BCE); however, by the 9th century BCE a new generation of glassmakers took up the technique once again, and between the 6th and 4th century BCE core-forming spread throughout the Mediterranean.
  
  For a similar example, please see The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 81.10.313: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/245463
  
  Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
  A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
  
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  #133238

  Condition

  Surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age as expected, slight fading to coloration, minor pitting, and some surface roughness, otherwise intact and excellent. Light earthen deposits within recessed areas, and nice rainbow iridescence throughout. Some purple areas now exhibit a dark-brown color due to age and the environmental exposure.
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