50. Oinochoe

Condition

Fully preserved; mended. There is some discoloration; minor nicks and scratches on the surface.

Description

Translucent dark blue ground; opaque yellow, turquoise, and white threads. Broad trefoil rim-disk; cylindrical neck, tapering toward the body; rounded sloping shoulder; straight-sided, almost cylindrical body tapering toward the bottom; circular dark blue pad-base, asymmetrical, uneven, and slightly concave on its underside. A vertical translucent dark blue strap handle is applied on the shoulder and, arching, extends to the edge of the rim-disk.

An unmarvered yellow thread is wound around the rim and another yellow thread is wound spirally three times around the neck. Seven marvered threads are wound spirally around the body. Each one continues and intermingles with the other. A yellow thread starts on the shoulder and spirals four times, followed by a turquoise and a white thread, each spiraling three times. At the middle of the body the same sequence is repeated, and the decoration closes with a yellow thread spiraled four times near the bottom of the vessel. All these threads are dragged up and down 24 times, forming a feather pattern, and some of the finer strands are not visible in every column. One unmarvered yellow thread is wound around the base.

Comments and Comparanda

See comments on cat. 48. For the classification of this particular oinochoe, see Grose 1989, class II:A, oinochoe form II:1: pp. 161, 163, nos. 147, 150.

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

von Saldern et al. 1974, p. 54, no. 117; p. 49, plate no. 117.

Exhibitions

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

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