- Title
- Bottle with Christian Symbols
- Medium
- Mold-blown glass
- Dimensions
- 4 5/8 x 1 7/8 in. (11.7 x 4.8 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.88.129.80
- Collecting Area
- European Painting and Sculpture: Greek and Roman
- Curatorial Notes
This pale green flask bearing a cross on its four sides and base is broadly related to an intriguing group of glass vessels ascribed to seventh-century Jerusalem that are likely the products of a single workshop. These glasswares can be divided into three groups based on their decoration depicting either Jewish (see M.88.129.77), Christian (as here), or Muslim symbols. They are sometimes referred to as pilgrim flasks, reflecting the shared sanctity of Jerusalem among the three monotheistic faiths. Another group of pilgrim vessels composed of ampuls that carry Greek inscriptions referring to oil from the “Holy Places of Christ” suggests that this flask served a similar purpose, although it is also possible that it had a liturgical function. As in all such glass vessels, the decoration was delineated in the glass mold.
2024
- Selected Bibliography
- Saldern, Axel von. Glass 500 B.C. to A.D. 1900: The Hans Cohn Collection. Mainz: Philipp von Zabern, 1980.
