Lentoid Flask

Lentoid flask, Sand core vessel with dragged thread decoration. Broken and repaired.

Historical period(s)
Dynasty 18, second half, New Kingdom, Reign of Tuthmosis IV - Akhenaten, 1401-1335 BCE
Medium
Glass
Dimensions
H x W x D: 8.1 x 6.4 x 4.9 cm (3 3/16 x 2 1/2 x 1 15/16 in)
Geography
Egypt
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1909.428
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Glass, Vessel
Type

Flask

Keywords
core forming, dragging, Dynasty 18 (ca. 1539 - 1295 BCE), Egypt
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Lentoid flask, Sand core vessel with dragged thread decoration. Broken and repaired.

Label

Vessels such as this one are the masterpieces of Freer's Egyptian purchases. Of superb quality and beautifully preserved, they remain the world's premier collection of Egyptian glass vessels produced during Dynasty 18 (1550-1307 B.C.E.). The rich blues and blue-greens and the lustrous surfaces that appealed to Freer were also prized by ancient artisans, who sought to imitate in glass the colors and appearance of favored gemstones, especially turquoise and lapis lazuli. The vessels were made by winding threads of molten glass around a core of sand, clay, and mud.

These small vessels were fashioned as containers for costly perfumed ointments, scented oils, and cosmetics. Comparison with vessels and fragments excavated from royal glass workshops suggests that many of the Freer examples were made during the reigns of the pharaohs Amenhotep III (1391-1353 B.C.E.) and Amenhotep IV, who changed his name to Akhenaten (1353-1335 B.C.E.). They may likewise be the products of royal workshops.

Published References
  • John D. Cooney. Catalogue of Egyptian Antiquities in the British Museum. 7 vols., London, 1968-1987. vol. 4.
  • Richard Ettinghausen. Ancient Glass in the Freer Gallery of Art. Washington, 1962. p. 10, fig. 7.
  • Ann C. Gunter. A Collector's Journey: Charles Lang Freer and Egypt. Washington and London, 2002. p. 20, fig. 1.4.
  • Thomas Lawton, Linda Merrill. Freer: a legacy of art. Washington and New York, 1993. p. 84, fig. 57.
  • Birgit Schlick-Nolte. Die Glasgefasse im alten Agypten. Munchner agyptologische Studien, 14 Berlin. p. 133, pl. 27, fig. 41.
  • Susan H. Auth. Ancient Egyptian Glass from the Dattari Collection. vol. 118, no. 258 London, August 1983. pp. 160-163, fig. 1.
Collection Area(s)
Ancient Egyptian Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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