An intact mould-blown blue glass bowl, Persia or Syria, 10th/11th century

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Bonhams London, 12 April 2000, lot 125.

Inheriting the Roman first and second-century aesthetic of mould-blown ribbed glass bowls, the present example can be attributed to tenth/eleventh century Persia or Syria on account of its more defined, slightly curved ribs and finely shaped flat rim. Earlier models, on the other hand, tended to be more rounded and paler in colour (see S.Carboni, Glass from Islamic Lands, The al-Sabah Collection, Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah, Kuwait National Museum, 2001, pp.22-23, Cat.3, inv. no.LNS 127 G). It is interesting to note that bowls of this type were sometimes attributed to Persia following Lamm and the sites in which similar bowls were excavated. The present example is similar to a footed cup in the al-Sabah collection attributed to the Iranian or Mesopotamian region, tenth/eleventh century, inv. no.LNS 98G, ibid, p.249, cat. no.3.39.