A SELJUK LIGHT GREEN AND COBALT-BLUE GLASS JUG
A SELJUK LIGHT GREEN AND COBALT-BLUE GLASS JUG

PROBABLY NISHAPUR, NORTH EAST PERSIA, 11TH CENTURY

Details
A SELJUK LIGHT GREEN AND COBALT-BLUE GLASS JUG
PROBABLY NISHAPUR, NORTH EAST PERSIA, 11TH CENTURY
The light green body rising from the spreading foot to the rounded and flat shoulder, the tubular neck and mouth very slightly flaring, the ribbed loop handle linking the shoulder and mouth with raised thumbpiece, the body stamped with a band of concentric circular medallions, a similar band of medallions around the shoulder, each linked by a cobalt-blue swagged marvered band, two bands of fine blue trail around the mouth, further applied with three small loops each with small ring, very small crack in body, otherwise intact, very slight surface iridescence and encrustation
7in. (17.8cm.) high

Lot Essay

This jug, which has survived in a remarkable state of preservation, clearly derives in its form from originals in other materials. The shape is very well known from pottery jugs mostly usually dated to around 1200. The rings around the neck can be parallelled in somewhat larger bronze ewers of the same period. It is however very unusual to find it in glass.

In the 9th century there was a group of glass vessels produced, most of which were bottles or jugs, which had a clear glass lower body impressed with a band of roundels which was then overlaid on the shoulder and neck by dark blue glass, thus resulting in a two-coloured glass bottle (Folsach, Kjeld v.: Islamic Art, The David Collection, Copenhagen, 1990, no.223, p.144; Hasson, Rachel: Early Islamic Glass, L.A.Mayer Memorial Institute for Islamic Art, Jerusalem, 1979, pl.35, p.20; Kordmahini, Helen A.: Glass from the Bazargan Collection, Teheran, 1994, pl.p.164). The present jug has considerably refined this technique, forming something considerably more difficult to create. Above the row of stamped roundels, similar to those on the earlier vessels, the blue glass is added, but only in a band on the shoulder rather than covering the whole upper section. The upper edge of this band has then been swagged to "suspend" it from the roundels impressed on the shoulder.

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