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Catalogue

20. Alabastron

Accession Number 2003.189
Dimensions H. 10.0, Diam. rim 2.8, max. Diam. 2.6 cm; Wt. 48.54 g
Date Fifth century BCE
Production Area Eastern Mediterranean, possibly Rhodes
Material Translucent brown, and opaque yellow, turquoise glass
Modeling Technique and Decoration Core-formed; applied rim-disk, handles, and unmarvered and marvered threads
View in Collection

Condition

Intact.

Description

Translucent brown body; opaque turquoise and yellow decoration. Horizontal rim-disk; cylindrical body; flat bottom. Two opposing purple ring handles with knobbed tails are placed over the decoration on the upper body, one slightly lower than the other.

A yellow thread wound unmarvered around the rim spirals marvered 25 times around the body to the center of the bottom. A marvered turquoise thread starts on the neck under the rim and spirals 25 times between the coils of the yellow thread and extends to the center of the bottom. The decoration from the upper body to just below the handles is dragged 22 times upward and 22 downward, forming a zigzag pattern.

Comments and Comparanda

On core-formed alabastra see comments on cat. 10. For the classification of this particular alabastron see , class I:F, alabastron form I:3B: pp. 139–141, nos. 82–85. Almost identical with cat. 19.

Provenance

By 1974–1988, Erwin Oppenländer, 1901–1988 (Waiblingen, Germany), by inheritance to his son, Gert Oppenländer, 1988; 1988–2003, Gert Oppenländer (Waiblingen, Germany), sold to the J. Paul Getty Museum, 2003

Bibliography

, pp. 72–73, no. 185; p. 57, plate no. 185.

Exhibitions

Molten Color: Glassmaking in Antiquity (Malibu, 2005–2006; 2007; 2009–2010)

Gläser der Antike: Sammlung Erwin Oppenländer (Hamburg and Cologne, 1974–1975)