Sand Core Glass in the Barakat Collection

BARAKAT

in the Barakat Collection

Sand Core Glass

Elegant glass vessels, Greek in shape and known as Amphoriskoi, were fabricated to store cosmetics or perfumed oils. The main centre of production is still disputed, but the principle contender is the island of Rhodes. One of the most important commercial centres in the Eastern Mediterranean, it had a lively trade in cosmetics and it is possible that the glass-making industry developed in response to this. The distribution of these beautiful Amphoriskoi attests to the trade routes followed

by Greek and Phoenician merchants, through Rhodes, the Greek Islands, and the Etruscan cities in Italy.

At the time of our vessels production the technique of glass-blowing had not yet been discovered, so instead the hollow was formed by covering a clay core with molten glass. The core was formed around a metal rod that was held during the vessel’s preparation and after the glass had cooled the core was scraped out. The decoration was added by winding thin trails of various colours around the vessel and working them with a comb. Finally, the vessel was rolled on the surface of a smooth stone tablet and the trails were marvered into the walls. This was a highly skilled and time-consuming process that resulted in works of great beauty.

Glass Amphoriskos

500 – 400 BC Glass £12,600 (G.0048)

Glass Amphoriskos The form of this vessel is typical of glass amphoriskos of the Hellenistic period.

Characteristic of its type, there is an elongated neck and extensive body decoration. The vessel has a flaring rim, a long cylindrical neck, an elongated piriform body and a knob base.

Attached are two handles between the shoulder and the top of the neck. Yellow trail wounds spiral around the body and neck of the vessel forming a feather-like pattern.

500 – 400 BC Glass £9,000 (OF.120)

Glass Amphoriskos Cobalt blue in colour, it rests on an outsplayed foot that is slightly convex below. It has rounded shoulders, a cylindrical neck, trefoil mouth, and a single handle.

Opaque yellow and turquoise threads have been wound spirally on the body and then tooled into a zigzag pattern in the middle band.

Furthermore, the edges of the foot and the rim have been decorated with a turquoise thread.

700 – 500 BC Glass £12,000 (GF.0348)

Glass Amphoriskos This amphoriskos is core formed in an ovoid shape, it stands on a pointed foot with a cylindrical neck, everted mouth and rounded rim. The vessel is decorated with opaque yellow and turquoise trailing combed into a zig-zag pattern, with horizontal lines above and below. This pattern continues gracefully draped over the shoulder. The rim is edged with turquoise trailing, and the twin handles are attached to the shoulder and neck.

700 – 400 BC Glass £9,000 (GF.0333)

Glass Amphoriskos A bulbous midriff and delicate curves, lead from a tiny pedestal to a stoutly flared lip flanked by two graceful handles, displaying a pastiche of blues and tans interspersed with white, zigzagging and spiralling around the vessel’s body. Vessels of this type were used as containers for perfumes and cosmetics.

500 – 400 BC Glass £12,000 (X.0618)

Glass Amphoriskos This translucent glass amphoriskos is fashioned on a core, with a tapering ovoid body, a cylindrical neck, and an out-splaying rim. Two handles are attached to the shoulder and the top of the neck. The decoration consists of white and red spiralling trailed marvered bands starting at the rim and continuing to under the shoulder, where they are combed into an uneven pattern of feathers and continue with spirals again around the bottom.

200 – 100 BC Glass £25,000 (SF.273)

Glass Amphoriskos The Ancients valued the colour blue because of its similarity to the precious stone lapis lazuli, making this a particularly precious and desirable vase. The body is piriform in shape with vertical ribs on the upper section. Opaque white feather trailing has been combed into festoons and spirals around the base and neck, and the rim is edged with an opaque white trail.

600 – 300 BC Glass £19,800

Glass Amphoriskos

300 – 200 BC Glass £18,000 (GF.0347)

Glass Amphoriskos Once again this amphoriskos displays a tapered ovoid body, a cylindrical neck and an out-splaying rim. Two handles are attached to the shoulder and the top of the neck.

The decoration consists of white spiralling trailed marvered bands starting at the rim and continuing to under the shoulder, where they are combed into an uneven pattern of feathers and continue with spirals again round the bottom.

200 – 100 BC Glass £18,000 (X.0616)

Glass Amphoriskos This amphoriskos, with its swelling, broadbellied midriff and sloping shoulder, leading from a tiny pedestal to a slender neck, flanked by two graceful handles, atop which sits a stout lip, displays a pastiche of blacks and reds interspersed with white, scalloped and spiralled around the vessel’s equator, appearing somewhat like a drapery of cloth.

The dedication and skill of the craftsmen that formed this glass vessel are contained in the frozen, flowing rivers of colour that comprise its walls and dazzle the eyes of the modern viewer, in much the same way that they must have bedazzled the ancient Mediterranean viewers as well.

300 – 200 BC Glass £40,000 (X.0620)

Glass Amphoriskos Early sand-core aquamarine glass amphoriskos with tall, cylindrical neck, and two high swung handles.

The vessel is decorated with a continuous red spiral trail from rim to shoulder and with a festoon pattern on the body.

500 – 300 CE Glass £48,000 (GF.0103)

Glass Amphoriskos

300 – 200 BC Glass £36,000 (X.0185)

Glass Amphoriskos An impressive bottle, with flaring rim, cylindrical neck, elongated piriform body, and added knob base. Two handles of the same blue translucent glass between the shoulder and the top of the neck. White trail wound spirally around the rim and neck; on the shoulder the white trail combed into a feather pattern terminating again in close-set horizontal revolutions on the bottom.

400 – 300 BC Glass £15,000 (LO.934)

Glass Amphoriskos Although the techniques and colours suggest imitations of the New Kingdom vessels, new non-Egyptian forms were introduced to reflect the development of Greek pottery shapes. This amphoriskos has a flaring rim, a long cylindrical neck, an elongated piriform body and a knob base. It would've had two handles between the shoulder and the top of the neck, which are now missing. Yellow and white trail wounds spiral around the body and neck of the vessel.

100 BC Glass ÂŁ6300 (G.0240)

Glass Amphoriskos This amphoriskos has a flaring rim and a long cylindrical neck, an elongated piriform body and a knobbed base. No handles are attached to it, but a red and white trail wound spirals around the lower part of the neck, and a feather-like design spirals around the upper neck and body.

200 – 100 BC Glass £48,000 (X.0619)

Albastron The name 'alabastron' is derived from the fact that many similarly-shaped perfume vessels were made from alabaster. This glass example was made by coating a core, probably made of clay mixed with animal dung around the end of a metal rod, with molten glass. This alabastron has a wide everted neck, an elongated ovoid body and a concave base and attached on the upper part of the body are two small handles.

Around the middle of the body is a zig-zag feather-like pattern in alternating white and yellow.

500 – 400 BC Glass £8,000 (X.0617)

LONDON 58 Brook Street, London W1K 5DT : +44 (0) 207 493 7778 SEOUL 36 Samcheong-ro, 7-gil Jongno-gu T: +82 27301949

SEOUL 58-4 Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu T: +82 27301949 LOS ANGELES 941 N La Cienega Blvd, California CA 90069, USA T: +1 (310) 859 8408 HONG KONG 168C Hollywood Road, Kelford Mansion, Sheung Wan T: 00852 26382005 HONG KONG 187 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan T: 00852 26382262

HONG KONG 21 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Global Trade Square T: 00852 26382191 AMMAN 31 Nagdawi Street, Rabieh, Amman, Jordan T: +44 (0) 7710 444642 MARRAKECH 42 Jowhar, Residence Prestigia, 4000 Menara, Guelz-Marrakech T: +44 (0) 7710 444642

barakatgallery.eu

info@barakatgallery.eu