Islamic Glass Bottle - OF.123, Origin: Central Asia, Circa: 800 AD to 1000 AD, Dimensions: 2.4" (6.1cm) high, Collection: Islamic, Style: Mold-Blown/Cut, Medium: Glass. This small pale green glass bottle would have been used to hold precious liquids such as perfume. The stoppers of such vessels have not survived but it has been suggested they were made of cotton or a similar perishable material. The beauty of this type of bottle lies the use of bold geometric motifs cut in high relief. Facet- cutting was already known during the Sassanian period and flourished in the sixth century AD when it was used mainly for round bowls. During the Islamic era it was applied to a larger range of vessels, especially small bottles which enjoyed a particular vogue between the ninth and tenth centuries AD. Its use was reserved for luxury wares, perhaps in imitation of more costly rock crystal cut vessels. The usual method was to cast the basic shape of the vessel in a mold. The cutting was carried out when the glass was cold. The early dating of this example is fairly secure as the facet-cutting technique had fallen out of fashion by the eleventh-century.

Antiquities
Ancient Near East