Hellenistic Greek Coreform Glass Amphoriskos

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Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic

By Artemis Gallery

Feb 18, 2021

Set Reminder 2021-02-18 10:00:00 2021-02-18 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-asian-ethnographic-6373
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• Lot Description
  Greece, late Hellenistic Period, ca. 2nd century CE. An exquisite example of a core-formed glass amphoriskos once used to hold sweet and floral perfumed oil. The vessel boasts an elegant piriform body with a trailed drop, a sloped shoulder that tapers to form the cylindrical neck, a flared rim with an upturned lip to mitigate spillage, and a pair of high-arching trail handles. Decorating the body are thin trails of marigold and sky blue glass which are feathered upward against the midnight-blue glass body, withunfeathered yellow and light-blue trails wrapping around the neck and lower body. Brilliant areas of rainbow-hued iridescence nicely complement the variety of colors on this vessel making it a breathtaking example of late Hellenistic artistry to be treasured for its impeccable form, beautiful hues, and sophisticated technique. Size: 2.25" in diameter x 5.375" H (5.7 cm x 13.7 cm); 5.875" H (14.9 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  The term amphoriskos literally means "little amphora" and is indeed a miniature amphora. This shape was quite popular, as it was ideal to store precious oils, perfumes, or cosmetics. A vessel like this would have been made for the elites of ancient society. Its owner would have used a stopper to keep the contents inside, and a glass rod to dip into the vessel's perfumed oils and dab on the neck or wrists. The Greeks created core-formed or sand core vessels by trailing threads of molten glass over a "core" of sand or clay to form the vessel. These threads were oftentimes feathered or dragged to create intriguing decorative patterns.
  
  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.
  
  Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-Daryl G. Kulok collection, New York, USA, acquired in the 2000s
  
  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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  #162140

  Condition

  Body repaired and restoration to one handle. Expected abrasions and scratches commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent with gorgeous areas of iridescence and lovely earthen deposits throughout.
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