Condition
Fully preserved, with a tiny fragment missing near the top. In the interior a black matte mass is visible. The pin is partly corroded, and a greenish patina covers it entirely.
Description
The object is hollow and has the form of a papyrus column. Flaring rim/capital; cylindrical body, wider toward the lower part; convex base. A white thread is wound spirally around the body six times. A yellow thread is wound around the edge of the rim, and another one once around the bottom area. Within the interior of the body a long bronze pin is attached, slender at the free end. The visible part of its upper end has the shape of an oval bead with fine discoid endings and is flanked by hexagonal rings.
The pin is securely attached to the tube’s interior, but it is not possible to tell if the pin is part of the original object, or if it has been added at a modern date, which seems quite probable.
Comments and Comparanda
In ancient Egypt earplugs in the form of a papyrus column were associated with the regenerative powers of the plant, believed to be transferred to the person wearing them. They first appear during the reign of Amenhotep III (1387–1350 BCE) and continue to be used until after the end of the Ramesside period (1075 BCE). They were probably inserted in pierced earlobes, presumably with a fresh flower placed in the cavity (Stern, Eva Marianne, and Birgit Schlick–Nolte. 1994. Early Glass of the Ancient World, 1600 B.C.–A.D. 50: Ernesto Wolf Collection. Ostfildern: Gerd Hatje., pp. 136–137, no. 8). The exact function of these objects is unknown. It is equally probable that they were used as threaded beads, a use that would better display the decorated body, which would not be visible at all if they were used as earplugs (Andrews, Carol. 1990. Ancient Egyptian Jewellery. London: British Museum Publications., p. 114, fig. b, d, e). See further Ancient Glass: The Bomford Collection of Pre-Roman and Roman Glass on Loan to the City of Bristol Museum and Art Gallery. 1976. Bristol: Museum and Art Gallery., no. 2, illustrated; Cooney, John Ducey. 1976. Catalogue of Egyptian Antiquities in the British Museum. Vol. 4: Glass. London: British Museum., p. 92, nos. 975–983, 989–994, 996–998; Goldstein, Sidney M. 1979. Pre-Roman and Early Roman Glass in the Corning Museum of Glass. Corning, NY: Corning Museum of Glas., pp. 78–80, nos. 124, 128; Stern, Eva Marianne, and Birgit Schlick–Nolte. 1994. Early Glass of the Ancient World, 1600 B.C.–A.D. 50: Ernesto Wolf Collection. Ostfildern: Gerd Hatje., pp. 136–137, no. 8.
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
Saldern von, Axel, Birgit Nolte, Peter La Baume, and Thea Elisabeth Haevernick. 1974. Gläser der Antike. Sammlung Erwin Oppenländer. Mainz: von Zabern., p. 31, no. 38.
Exhibitions
Molten Color: Glassmaking in Antiquity (Malibu, 2005–2006; 2007; 2009–2010)
Gläser der Antike: Sammlung Erwin Oppenländer (Hamburg and Cologne, 1974–1975)