An important Sassanian or early Islamic wheel-cut glass document holder or pencase, Persia, 5th-7th Century

of transparent emerald green glass, thick-walled and of long cylindrical or tubular form with one rounded end and the other end left open, the exterior of the body decorated with diamond-shaped facet cuts in overlapping registers

In good condition, breaks and repairs near base, internal fracture starting from rim and continuing down, some inclusions to glass, as viewed.
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Such examples as the present lot illustrate the late-Sassanian style of glass-cutting which came to fruition at the very cusp of the Sassanid-Islamic transition. As a result, early Islamic glassmaking bore heavy Sassanid influences. The faceted honeycomb depressions on the glass are made possible by the technique of wheel-cutting. This technique required the glass to be very resilient and examples of this kind are thick and robust.

Whilst the technique was predominantly used in the production of glass bottles and dishes, rare cylindrical examples such as the current piece also exist. The impressive technical and artistic features of the item points to its stately use, and would suggest that it was a prestige item reserved for use by an individual of rank.

The Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art holds a comparable scroll- or pen-case of emerald green glass decorated with twelve rows of oval facet cuts attributed to 5th-7th century Iran/Iraq, (inv. no.GLS 257) (Goldstein 2007, pp.52-3, no.39). Another very similar cut-glass example is in the Corning Museum of Glass (inv. no. 66.1.19) (Harper 1978, p.157, no.80). A further, slightly later example in the Khalili Collection (inv.no.GLS 256) has moulded decoration and may, according to Michael Rogers, have served as a scent or unguent container (Amsterdam 1999, p.234, no.212).

The precise function of such objects remains speculative. The afore-mentioned Corning piece and the closely related piece in the David Collection (inv. no.5/1971; Copenhagen 1075, p.11) are left undecorated at the rim allowing for a fitted (though not water-tight) metal cover, of which vestiges in silver have survived on isolated examples. Unless sealed with wax or a wooden bung, cylinders of this kind would not have been practical as liquid receptacles. Furthermore, a number of comparable fragmentary glass samples were found at Qasr-I Abu Nasr amongst a large assortment of stamped clay sealings (originally used to attach parcels and documents), suggesting a primary function as a container for writing materials, pens, brushes or documents (Harper 1978, p.157, no.80).

Vessels of similar shape and design have been excavated both at Nineveh in Northern Mesopotamia and at Qasr-I Abu Nasr in Southern Iran (ibid., p.157).

For a full discussion on early Islamic wheel-cut glass, see Carboni 2001, pp.16-30.