Fragment
Unknown Artist
9th century
Medium
Glass; stained and luster-painted
Dimensions
H. 1 in. (2.5 cm) W. 1 1/8 in. (3.2 cm)
Classification
Glass
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Saeed Motamed, 1974
Accession Number
1974.371.1
Art Historical Context
This delicate glass fragment, dating to the 9th, hails from the Islamic world during the Abbasid Caliph—a golden age of artistic innovation. Measuring just 1 inch high and 1⅛ inches wide, it is a surviving piece of stained and luster-painted glass, likely from a vessel or decorative object. Donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in1974 by Saeedamed, it exemplifies the exquisite craftsmanship of early Islamic artisans working in regions like Iraq or Syria. The medium is particularly noteworthy: staining involved infusing glass with metallic oxides for vibrant colors, while luster-painting a...