Candlesticks
Unknown Artist
868–905
Medium
Glass; free blown
Dimensions
H. ca. 5 1/4 in. (13.4 cm) Diam. of base: 3 7/8 in. (9.8 cm) H. ca. 5 1/8 in. (13.0 cm) Diam. of base: 3 5/8 in. (9.2 cm)
Classification
Glass
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Charles K. and Irma B. Wilkinson, 1977
Accession Number
1977.392.3
Art Historical Context
These delicate glass candlesticks, by an unknown artist between 868 and 905 CE, hail from the Islamic world during the Abbasid Caliph—a golden age of innovation and artistry. Standing about 5 inches tall with sturdy bases around 3.5–4 inches in diameter, exemplify free-blown glass technique, where molten glass is gathered on a blowpipe and inflated into shape. This method, refined by Islamic artisans in regions like Syria, Iraq, and Egypt, allowed for elegant, symmetrical forms that were both functional and decorative, transforming everyday lighting into objects of beauty. In the 9th–10th cen...