Publication Date
327 – 400 / 939 – 1010
Publication Place
-
National Archaeological Museum
Subject
Carved jandali crystal.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع: 9.5 سم؛ العرض: 8.2 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
62317
Record ID
object;ISL;es;Mus01;16;ar
Library Location
National Archaeological Museum
Date
327 – 400 / 939 – 1010
Notes
A small bottle made of chandelier crystal in the shape of a lens, the upper and lower parts of which were broken. The relief decoration provides several records; Above the upper part appears an inscription band engraved with lush Kufic letters, within which we read on both sides: “God’s grace.” While the next register represents two birds of prey facing each other, possibly falcons, with a floral decoration in the form of spiral inlays running between them. The piece presents, as is often the case in this type of pieces, a “hollow” (a central hole in the shape of a cylinder), because it was used to store kohl, or antimony chlorine used as a cosmetic. This vessel was mounted on a support and equipped with a glass straw that was inserted into the storeroom in order to collect and apply cosmetic powder. The treatment of chandelier crystal, a colorless type of flint, gave it a transparency that had not yet been achieved by medieval glassworkers. Moreover, the difficulty of the technique nevertheless added some value to this piece, which was always highly appreciated; These pieces made of chandelier crystal were often given as diplomatic gifts. We do not have remains of traditional craftsmanship in Andalusia dedicated to this type of piece. It is possible that its arrival to the Iberian Peninsula occurred during the tenth - eleventh centuries through trade from Fatimid Egypt. A number of Islamic pieces made of crystal, which arrived from the East during the Caliphate of Cordoba across the Iberian Peninsula, were dispersed and reused during the Christian period, after they were provided with new and luxurious cases.
Sample Text
Margarita Sánchez Llorente “Kohl Bottle” inDiscover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;es;Mus01;16;ar