188. Eulogia Jug

Condition

The vessel is mended. There are areas covered with incrustation and iridescence. One side of the body, seemingly covered throughout with weathering, is probably missing and has been filled with a material that replicates weathered glass.

Description

Fine, in-folded, tubular trefoil rim; conical mouth; cylindrical neck; hexagonal body; concave bottom. Three radial lines on the bottom. An annular pontil mark (W. 1.6 cm) is visible on the bottom. All sides of the body are mildly convex.

A slightly lopsided, vertical coil handle, applied to the middle of the neck, rises to the edge of the rim.

On the sides of the body the following motifs are imprinted (starting below the handle and moving counterclockwise):

1. A stylized vertical branch, probably a palm frond, with seven or eight pairs of straight, diagonal, elongated leaves.

2. A band of three vertically arranged lozenges, each inscribing a central circular boss. The lozenges at top and bottom are incomplete and only partly fit in the panel.

3. Nothing visible, probably a modern restoration.

4. A stylized vertical branch, probably a palm frond, with nine pairs of straight, diagonal, elongated leaves.

5. A band of three vertically arranged lozenges, each inscribing a central circular boss. The lozenges at top and bottom are incomplete and only partly fit in the panel.

6. A network of eleven staggered rows of three lozenges, each one with a circular boss at its center, covering the entire side.

Comments and Comparanda

A large group of mold-blown vessels with Christian, Jewish, geometric, and vegetal motifs in sunken relief is long known and discussed in archaeology (Barag 1970c, p. 1971). They are dated between the fourth and the seventh centuries, predominantly in the sixth to the mid-seventh centuries. They were produced in Syria and Palestine to meet the needs of pilgrims to contain eulogiae—the blessings, mementos of earth, oil, or water from holy places, that would permit the pilgrim to call upon its protective powers at a later date (Ćurčić and St. Clair 1986, p. 36; Newby 2008, pp. 12–17).

The particular group of mold-blown jugs, flasks, and jars to which this vessel belongs comprises almost exclusively hexagonal vessels, with vegetal and geometric decoration, including palm fronds (a Tree of Life or an allusion to the Entrance of Christ into Jerusalem). Three different panels were used in their decoration, each repeated twice and arranged in various ways (Stern 1995, pp. 250–251; Newby 2008, pp. 256–281). They are known mainly in translucent greenish glass, and on the underside they have a rosette or radial lines (Newby 2008, pp. 274–277, nos. 89, 90). The distribution of findspots indicates that they were made in Syria, probably in more than one workshop.

No exact parallel for the particular arrangement of the motifs on the sides of this jug has been located. Also unique is the placement of the handle at mid-neck height. For the closest parallels, see Newby 2008, geometric series, hexagonal molds, pp. 260–271; and compare also Stern 1995, pp. 260–264, nos. 178–186.

Provenance

1940, Harry Leonard Simmons [sold, Parke-Bernet Galleries, Inc., New York, April 5, 1940, lot 104, through French and Co. to J. Paul Getty]; 1940–1976, J. Paul Getty, American, 1892–1976, upon his death, held in trust by the estate; 1976–1978, Estate of J. Paul Getty, American, 1892–1976, distributed to the J. Paul Getty Museum, 1978

Bibliography

Parke-Bernet Galleries 1940, lot 104, ill.

Stothart 1965, p. 20, no. F-13.

Wight 2011, pp. 96, 99, fig. 68

Exhibitions

None