Fragment of a Bowl
Unknown Artist
8th–9th century
Medium
Glass; blown and tooled
Dimensions
H. 1 1/8 in. (2.9 cm) Diam. 2 1/8 (5.4 cm)
Classification
Glass
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1932
Accession Number
32.150.240
Art Historical Context
This delicate fragment of a bowl, to the 8th–9th, offers a tantalizing glimpse into the refined world of Islamic glassmaking during the Abbasid era. Crafted from glass using blown and tooled techniques, it measures just 1 1/8 inches high and 2 1/8 inches in diameter—small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. through the Rogers Fund in 2, it resides in the Metropolitan Museum of's Islamic Art department, where it exemplifies the everyday elegance of medieval luxury goods. Glassblowing, perfected by Islamic artisans after its Roman origins, involved heating silica to a molten state, blowing ...