Ancient Greece, late Hellenistic Period, ca. 2nd to 1st century BCE. A gorgeous core-formed glass amphoriskos of a narrow, elegant form. The vessel presents with a lozenge-shaped body, a rounded shoulder with a slight indentation along the neck base, a cylindrical neck surmounted by a thick rim, and a pair of glass handles pulled between the shoulder and rim, all atop a spherical drop base. The vessel is constructed from translucent amber-yellow glass with trails of opaque yellow and white glass applied around the neck, and additional yellow and white trails course around the body and exhibit fine feathered patterns created with thin incisions. Brilliant layers of silvery and rainbow-hued iridescence have developed across the exterior surfaces and add an element of sophistication to this elegant composition. Size: 1.7" W x 3.4" H (4.3 cm x 8.6 cm); 3.9" H (9.9 cm) on included custom stand.
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." 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.
Cf. "Glasses of Antiquity." Fortuna Fine Arts, Ltd., New York, 2002, fig. 12.
Provenance: ex-estate of Eldert Bontekoe, Pegasi Numismatics, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, acquired before 2000
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#158888
Condition
Repaired from multiple pieces, with small chips and light adhesive residue along break lines. Light abrasions to handles, neck, body, and base, with chipping to iridescence in some areas. Great remains of silvery and rainbow iridescence throughout.