A RARE FATIMID LUSTRE-DECORATED GLASS BOWL, EGYPT, 9TH-11TH CENTURY |

the transparent glass with green-tinged rim and base, decorated with lustre palmettes and geometric motifs

The glass with bubbles and some impurities, intact, the rim to underside with a small cut that was used for the scientific analysis, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Extant examples of intact Fatimid lustre glass bowls are rare; the glass itself being thin-bodied and included with multiple bubbles, it would have been very difficult to preserve such an object. The tradition of lustre painting on glass has its origins in late Roman Egypt. Early experiments with the lustre technique care documented in the substantial corpus of glass sherd material from Fustat dating back to at least the sixth/seventh century. The earliest dated lustre glass object is in the Museum of Islamic Art, Cairo, ascribed 'bi Misr' (in Egypt), 163 AH/779-80 AD (Rogers 2007, p.53, no.42). Although few examples in glass remain, a mould-blown lustre bowl in the British Museum (inv. no.1902,0517) displays similar characteristics in design to that of the present model. The description accompanying the British Museum bowl provides a good explanation for the process by which such a bowl would have been decorated: “The vessel was painted with a mixture containing copper oxides which fused with the glass when the vessel was heated in a reduction kiln (which limited the oxygen suppy). This created a metallic lustrous sheen” (https://www.bmimages.com/preview.asp?image=00030484001). Similar palmettes, assimilated to Abbasid prototypes, feature as the main decoration on a bottle in the David Collection, Copenhagen (inv. no.1/1985). Another comparable example, with inscriptions, is located in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (inv. no.1974.74).

This lot is accompanied by a scientific report on the glass carried out by Professor Dr Julian Henderson confirming the date of production.