47 / 76
3 /1 9 7 1 F la sk e
P e rs ie n 9 .-1 0 . å r h u n d re d e
K la r t g las m e d g r ø n t o v e rfa n g . H :1 5 , D ia m :7 ,5
O v e r f a n g s g la s - te k n ik k e n , s o m o p le v e d e et a f sin e
h ø jd e p u n k te r u n d e r r o m e r n e , le v e d e v id e r e i d e n
tid lig e is la m is k e p e rio d e , se lv o m b e v a re d e o b je k
te r e r sjæ ld n e . F re m s tillin g s m å d e n v a r la n g s o m
m e lig o g u d e n tv iv l tils v a re n d e k o s tb a r . F ø rs t
b læ ste s o g fo rm e d e s g e n s ta n d e n a f k la r t g las, o g
d e re fte r d y p p e d e s d e n n e i e n fa rv e t m a sse . M o t i
v e t m a rk e re d e s , o g d e t u d e n o m lig g e n d e , o v e r flø
d ig e fa rv e d e g las b le v ije r n e t m e d e t slib e h ju l. D e
k o r a tio n e n k o m så led e s til a t stå i r e lie f - o v e n i
k ø b e t i f a rv e t r e l i e f - o g v a r e n m o d s æ tn in g til d e n
la n g t e n k le re te k n ik , h v o r se lv e m o tiv e t » te g n e
d es« v e d s lib n in g e lle r g r a v e rin g .
I m u s e e t fin d e s o m k r in g 50 g la s g e n s ta n d e u d
f ø r t i fo rs k e llig e te k n ik k e r fra sa s s a n id is k tid o p til
d e t
11
. -
12
. å rh u n d re d e , s o m o v e rv e je n d e e r e r
h v e r v e t i 1 9 6 0 ’e rn e o g 7 0 ’e rn e . D e n a fb ild e d e fla
sk e s ta m m e r fra P e rs ie n o g m å s k e fra N is h a p u r -
o m r å d e t, s o m p å g r u n d a f sin a fsid es b e lig g e n h e d
læ n g e h o ld t fa st v e d æ ld re k u n s tn e r is k e tr a d itio
n e r. O v e r g a n g e n fra sa s s a n id is k til is la m is k stil
v a r d e r fo r g lid e n d e , m e n i d e tte tilfæ ld e e r d e e n k
le s a ss a n id isk e fa c e t- o g m e d a ljo n re lie ffe r a flø s t a f
fire + to s tilis e re d e fu g le o g e n p a lm e td e k o r a tio n ,
s o m le d e r ta n k e n h e n p å d e n s tu k - o g tr æ o r n a
m e n tik , s o m m a n h a r f u n d e t i d e t 9. o g 10. å r
h u n d r e d e s S a m a rra . S a m a rra s tile n s p re d te s h u r
tig t, o g p å g r u n d a f o r n a m e n tik k e n s s tre n g h e d o g
fla s k e n s k lo k k e f o r m e r d e t r im e lig t at p la c e re d e n
tid lig t i d e n r e la tiv t lille b e v a re d e g r u p p e a f isla
m is k o v e rfa n g s g la s .
3/1911 Flask
Persia 9th-10th century
Clear glass with green overlay. H:15, Diam:7.5
The overlay glass technique, which experienced one of
its zeniths under the Romans, lived on during the early
Islamic period even though preserved objects are rare.
The method employed was slow and doubtless corres
pondingly expensive. The article was first blown and
shaped in clear glass and thereafter dipped in a coloured
mass. The motif was marked, and the surrounding
superfluous coloured glass was removed on the wheel.
The decoration thus came to stand out in relief - and,
moreover, in coloured relief—and was a contrast to the
far simpler technique in which the motif was “drawn”
by grinding or engraving.
In the Museum there are about 50 glass items
executed in various techniques ranging from Sassanid
times up to the 11th or 12th century which for the most
part were acquired during the 1960s and 70s. The flask
illustrated comes from Persia and perhaps from the
Nishapur region, which on account of the remoteness of
its locality retained its old artistic traditions for a long
time. The transition from the Sassanid to the Islamic
style was therefore smooth, but in this case the simple
Sassanid facet and medallion reliefs have been replaced
by 4 + 2 stylized birds and a palmette decoration re
miniscent of the stucco-and-wood ornamentation that has
been found in Samarra dating from the 9th and 10th
centuries. The Samarra style spread rapidly, and judg
ing by the strictness of the ornamentation and the bell-
shaped design of theflask it is reasonable toplace it early
in the relatively small group of Islamic overlay glass.
44