Greek Hellenistic Core Formed Glass Alabastron

Ancient Greece, Hellenistic, ca. 2nd to 1st century BCE. A core-formed glass alabastron, so-named because many vessels that assumed this form were made of alabaster. The polychrome vessel is comprised of primarily deep cobalt-blue glass with trails of tangerine yellow-orange and aqua glass that have been combed into a festoon decoration. Additional trails of tangerine glass wrap around both ends of the fusiform body, with an aqua trail between the two tangerine trails at the bottom and an aqua trail around the discoid rim. A pair of applied trail handles adorn the upper body - one in cobalt blue and the other in aqua. An elegant example of Hellenistic artistry. Size: 1.25" in diameter x 4.875" H (3.2 cm x 12.4 cm)

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 have trailed 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. Others, like this example, were created from colorful glass. 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.

Provenance: East Coast, USA collection; ex-Mario & Anita Zuerrer collection, Zurich, Switzerland, acquired in the 1980s

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Condition Report: Upper section of vessel repaired from several pieces with section of rim reattached and loss to other section of rim as shown. Bottom of vessel has been repaired from several pieces with some restoration in vicinity of break lines. Earthen deposits on areas of surface as shown.