Ancient Greece, Hellenistic, ca. 3rd to 1st century BCE. An exquisite core-formed glass vial of a piriform shape once used to hold precious perfumed oil. The coloration and decoration of this piece are simply breathtaking. Note how the cobalt blue body is wound with white and sky blue thread-like trails applied in a feathered pattern. A divine work of glass art to be treasured for its impeccable form, beautiful hues, areas of translucence, and sophisticated technique. Size: 3" H (7.6 cm); 3.875" H (9.8 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." (https://www.cmog.org/glass-dictionary/core-forming). 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 California, USA collection, before 2001

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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.

#135129

Two to three pieces reattached to rim. Body repaired from about three pieces. This said, repairs are well done.