Fragment of a Beaker
Unknown Artist
9th–10th century
Medium
Glass, greenish colorless; pinched
Dimensions
Max. dim. assembled: H. 2 9/16 in. (6.5 cm) W. 2 3/4 in. (7 cm)
Classification
Glass
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1948
Accession Number
48.101.268a–c
Art Historical Context
This delicate fragment of a beaker, dating to the 9th–10th century, a glimpse into the refined glassmaking traditions of the Islamic during the Abbasid era. Crafted from greenish colorless glass—a hue achieved through natural impurities in the silica—the piece measures just 2 9/16 inches (6.5 cm) high and 2 3/4 inches (7 cm) wide when assembled. As a survivor from everyday luxury vessels, it highlights the ubiquity of glass in medieval Islamic households, where such items held water, perfumes, or oils. The "pinched" technique used here is particularly noteworthy. Artisans heated molten glass ...