Ancient Near East, Persian, Abbasid period, ca. late 8th to early 9th century CE. A beautiful, mold-formed, miniature ceramic cosmetic vessel with a flat base, a gently expanding body with a rolled shoulder, a narrow neck with a flat rim, and a trio of handles joining rim to shoulder. The majority of the vessel is covered in a lovely sky blue glaze, with dark cobalt blue glaze adorning each of the handles. Vessels like this example were used to hold minute amounts of highly-coveted cosmetic substances and would have been applied with a slender applicator rod. The blue glaze is alkaline, with a copper base to give it its color, and would have been poured over the clay. These pieces may have been inspired by the blue and white glazed pottery that traveled the Silk Road from Tang Dynasty China, but the end result here is clearly not just an imitation, but an entirely different style. Size: 1" W x 1.875" H (2.5 cm x 4.8 cm).

This piece has been tested using thermoluminescence (TL) and has been found to be ancient and of the period stated. A full report will accompany purchase.

Provenance: private Paris, France collection

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#134039

Small loss to side of body with some new stabilization material. Surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age, small nicks to handles and body, with fading to some areas of glaze, and some roughness along rim and handles. Light earthen deposits and nice craquelure to glaze throughout.