Title: Cosmetic Set
Date: 9th or 10th century AD
Location: Egypt or Mesopotamia
Materials: colourless glass with a greenish-yellow tinge, cast or blown in an open mould, tooled and wheel cut with angular facets
Dimensions: 5.7 x 8cm (flask); 1.6 x 6.2 x 6.2cm (tray)
Accession Number: GLS 171
Other Notes:
Of the numerous facet-cut cosmetic flasks known from the eastern Mediterranean in the early Islamic Middle Ages and to a lesser extent in Iran, this set is indisputably the finest. It consists of a flask on an attached boat-shaped base and a square tray which may have been used as a palette for grinding kohl. The boat shape may allude to the import of precious cosmetics, oils and pastes by sea from distant lands.
Bibliography:
S.M. Goldstein et al, Glass. From Sasanian Antecedents to European Imitations, The Nasser D Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, volume XV, London 2005, cat.190, pp.162–3.
J.M. Rogers, The Arts of Islam. Masterpieces from the Khalili Collection, London 2010, cat.51, p.59.
Zoom
Close
Create your own collection of artworks that you can print or save as a PDF. Please enter you email to enable feature.
Small Flask | JLY 1075
Has been added to your collection.
TIP:
You can now access and view your collection from the main menu at any time.
