Description:

Central Asia, Bactrian period, ca. 1st millennium BCE. An absolutely gorgeous goblet, composed of nearly clear rock crystal, its interior beautifully filled with stable fractures, creating rainbow prisms when twisted in the light. The goblet has a flared, cylindrical leg with a flat base and a deep bowl with a thick rim; the shape of the bowl mirrors that of the leg in flaring slightly outward. The corners are sharp and dramatic rather than rounded, aside from along the rim, where the lip is softer. Size: 2.75" W x 4.05" H (7 cm x 10.3 cm)

Bactrian rock crystal goblets were so admired in Antiquity that the Achaemenids made clear glass goblets in imitation of them, and Aristophanes records other Persians doing this as well. The Chinese believed rock crystal to be petrified ice, as did Pliny. The trade in these items along the Silk Road made them legendary and emphasized their scarcity. Artwork from the Achaemenids indicate that Bactrian kings used them in ceremonies involving ritual drinking of wine.

Provenance: private Davis collection, Houston, Texas, USA; ex Gerhard Hirsch Nachfolger Auction 277-278, Munich, Germany, lot 599

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#132983

  • Condition: Small chips and fissures in the surface of the goblet commensurate with age, including some light encrustation on the surface.

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April 26, 2018 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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