Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Object of the Day, Museum Edition: A Rock Crystal Flask, 975




Let's start the New Year out with some sparkle.  Few things sparkle more than rock crystal which has been valued and employed for centuries.  This exceptional rock crystal vessel from the Victoria & Albert Museum takes a form which somewhat resembles the body of a fish. 






The fish shape is broken as the vessel tapers toward the shoulders which form a collar around the mouth of the hollowed out interior.  The exterior is elaborately carved in relief with hatched bands, double sets of complex volutes, abstract designs,  and four palmettes at the collar. 

This beauty, we can assume based on similar objects was made for the rulers of Egypt during the Fatimid period (969-1171). 




No comments: