Greek Core Formed Glass Alabastron - Gorgeous Hues!

**Originally Listed At $1700**

Greece, Classical Period, ca. late 6th to 5th century BCE. A lovely core-formed glass alabastron, so named because many vessels that assumed this form were made of alabaster. The round-bottomed vessel has a tall cylindrical body, a corseted neck, a discoid rim surrounding a petite mouth, and a pair of applied trail handles with perforated top loops. The opaque vessel is comprised of deep cobalt-blue glass with yellow and light-blue trailing combed into a broad zigzag across the midsection. Slender bands of yellow and light-blue ring around the neck and rim, and similar bands course around the bottom. A gorgeous work of expert glass-blowing prowess with attractive hues and a stylish presentation. Size: 1.5" W x 4.3" H (3.8 cm x 10.9 cm); 5.8" H (14.7 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 do boast small curving handles, 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." 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.

A stylistically similar example, of a smaller size and with far fewer yellow and light-blue glass trails, hammered for $23,750 at Christie's, New York "Antiquities" auction (sale 3403, December 11, 2014, lot 186).

Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010

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.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.

Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#149867
Condition Report: Professionally repaired from multiple large pieces, with areas of restoration to base, shoulder, neck, and rim, and resurfacing and overpainting along new material and break lines. Minor nicks to rim and body, with light encrustations, and pitting in some areas. Light earthen deposits throughout, and scattered areas of faint rainbow-hued iridescence.