Bottle with four handles

Historical period(s)
Mamluk period, ca. 1325-50
Medium
Glass, enameled and gilded
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 36.4 x 23.3 cm (14 5/16 x 9 3/16 in)
Geography
Syria, Damascus
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1934.19
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Glass, Vessel
Type

Bottle

Keywords
gilding, Mamluk period (1250 - 1517), Roman Period (30 BCE - 395 CE), Syria, WWII-era provenance
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

This rare four-handled vase bears the characteristic five-petal rosettes associated with the Rasulid dynasty of Yemen (reigned 1229–1454). Controlling the trade routes to Africa and East Asia, the Rasulids were a formidable sea power and commissioned numerous glass and metal vessels from the Mamluks, based in Egypt and Syria. The vase was reportedly found in China, where it may have arrived as a gift or through a Chinese emissary returning from the Rasulid court.

Published References
  • Friedrich Paul Theodor Sarre, Fredrik Robert Martin. Die Ausstellung von Meisterwerken Muhammedanischer Kunst in Muchen, 1910. 3 vols., Munich. vol. 2, pl. 172.
  • Ernst Kuhnel. Islamische Kleinkunst: ein Handbuch fur Sammler and Liebhaber. Bibliothek fur Kunst, 2nd ed. Braunschweig, Germany. opp. p. 224, pl. 15.
  • Richard Ettinghausen. Ancient Glass in the Freer Gallery of Art. Washington, 1962. p. 32.
  • Ideals of Beauty: Asian and American Art in the Freer and Sackler Galleries. Thames and Hudson World of Art London and Washington, 2010. pp. 122-123.
  • Dr. Esin Atil. Art of the Arab World. Exh. cat. Washington, 1975. cat. 75, p. 139.
  • Carl J. Lamm. Mittelalterliche Gläser und Steinschnittarbeiten aus dem Nahen Osten. Forschungen zur Islamischen Kunst 2 vols., Berlin. cat. 9, p. 412, pl. 181.9.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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