A small mosaic glass cosmetic dish, probably Syria, circa 9th century

of shallow oval form on a disc foot, made of red, black and white canes, with traces of green in the foot, the surface finely polished

The ancient technique of mosaic or millefiori glass, which flourished in the Hellenistic and Roman times, persisted in Syria and spread to Iraq in the early Islamic period. Small bowls of this type were almost certainly used by women for cosmetic purposes. Related examples can be found in the Corning Museum of Glass, the al-Sabah Collection, Kuwait, and the David Collection, Copenhagen (see Carboni and Whitehouse 2001, p.150-151).  A similar example sold at Christie's, 11 October 2005, lot 29.