Greek Core-Formed Glass Alabastron - Black w/ White

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Holiday Glitz - Ancient / Ethnographic Art

By Artemis Gallery

Nov 29, 2018

Set Reminder 2018-11-29 10:00:00 2018-11-29 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Holiday Glitz - Ancient / Ethnographic Art https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/holiday-glitz---ancient-ethnographic-art-3672
What to give this holiday season? Think silver, gold, bronze, shiny, glittery, wearable, festive. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. This is one sale you don't want to miss! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com

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• Lot Description
  Ancient Greece, ca. 3rd to 1st century BCE. A stunning glass alabastron presenting a gently-tapering body that narrows to a pointed base comprised of feathered and striated bands of white against a black ground, a pair of yellow-green trail handles, and a discoid rim lined with a delicate white band. A breathtaking work of glass art to be treasured for its impeccable form, beautiful hues, and sophisticated technique! Size: 3.375" H (8.6 cm); 3.875" H (9.8 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. 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, though colorful vessels like this example were created later during the rise of the Classical period. 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.
  
  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.
  
  We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
  
  #135265

  Condition

  Slight surface wear, but otherwise excellent.
• Shipping Info

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