Glass vessel possibly for chemistry
Damascus, Syria
National Museum of Damascus
About National Museum of Damascus, Damascus
Around hegira 3rd–4th century / AD 9th–10th century
ع 629
Blown glass.
Height 22.2 cm, width (of belly) 9.6 cm
Abbasid
Raqqa region, Syria.
A plain, utilitarian glass vessel without ornamentation. Its unusual shape indicates specialised use, probably in a field such as chemistry. It has an oval-shaped body with a narrow and long pipe coming out of its side and curving upward almost perpendicularly. The pipe grows gradually wider near the tip and its outward-splayed lip is shaped like a little funnel. This vessel is made of thin, white, translucent glass. It is free from decoration, probably so that the progress of chemical reactions taking place within it could be observed.
The Abbasid period witnessed a cultural and scientific renaissance and archaeologists have discovered many glass finds intended for practical uses.
Skilled craftsmanship was required not just for luxury wares but for more utilitarian objects as well. This undecorated but highly sophisticated glass vessel was probably used for experiments in chemistry.
Glass production flourished in many Islamic centres in Iran, Iraq, Syria and Egypt, and throughout several eras. Similarly, shaped glass fragments have been attributed to the early 'Abbasid period. Numerous utilitarian, Abbasid-era glass objects have been found in the Raqqa region during archaeological excavations of the 'Abbasid palace complexes under the direction of Nasib Salibi during the 1950s and Michael Meinecke during the 1990s. It is possible that this vessel was produced in the early Abbasid period.
Purchased in 1919.
Numerous finds of glass in archaeological excavations at Raqqa, together with knowledge that the area was a glass-making centre, make it possible that the object was manufactured in Raqqa, a large urban city complex that flourished under the Abbasids.
Abu al-Faraj al-Ush, M., A Concise Guide to the National Museum of Damascus, Damascus, 1969, p.250.
Carboni, S., and Whitehouse, D., Glass of the Sultans, New York, 2001.
Mona al-Moadin "Glass vessel possibly for chemistry" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;sy;Mus01;15;en
MWNF Working Number: SY 21
RELATED CONTENT
Related monuments
Islamic Dynasties / Period
On display in
Download
As PDF (including images) As Word (text only)