- Title
- Bottle
- Date Made
- late 10th - early 11th century
- Medium
- Rock crystal, carved
- Dimensions
- 2 1/4 x 13/16 in. (5.71 x 2.0 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.73.5.711
- Collecting Area
- Art of the Middle East: Islamic
- Curatorial Notes
The wealth and material prosperity enjoyed by Egypt and Syria under the Fatimid dynasty (969–1171) are reflected in the opulence of its art. Given the number of surviving examples, the Fatimids and their contemporaries evidently had a taste for intricately carved vessels of rock crystal. This type of transparent colorless quartz, whose surface can be brilliantly burnished, was sought after as an impressive container for precious contents. Decorated with abstract vegetal ornament, this example is remarkable for its diminutive scale, considering the complexities of carving and polishing this hard stone. It was perhaps intended to contain some expensive substance such as perfume or scented oil, and would have had a stopper made of a more ephemeral material to prevent evaporation.
2024
