- Title
- Container in the form of an Animal
- Date Made
- 10th century
- Medium
- Glass, free-blown, with applied decoration
- Dimensions
- 3 3/16 x 2 3/16 x 4 3/8 in. (8.10 x 5.56 x 11.11 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.88.129.187
- Collecting Area
- Art of the Middle East: Islamic
- Curatorial Notes
In Islamic art, animal forms are frequently employed in the design of utilitarian objects, as in this charming glass perfume container in the shape of a kneeling quadruped, probably a camel. Here, in order to transform the animal into a functional vessel, it has been reduced to its most basic yet recognizable forms. The elegant, curved neck of the camel has been further elongated to serve as the vessel's spout, the hump is reconfigured as the handle, and the tiny, almost vestigial feet represent the legs folded beneath the beast.
