tour 2 of 21
The art of glass
Blue glass jug, inscribed for Thutmose III
This jug is one of the earliest Egyptian glass
vessels to have been found. The few glass beads of the Old Kingdom
(about 2613-2160 BC), made a thousand years earlier, seem to have
been the result of a mistake in the similar process of
faience
manufacture. The Egyptians began producing glass in quantity in the
New Kingdom (1550-1070 BC). The technique was perhaps brought to
Egypt by Syrian craftsmen, as its introduction seems to coincide
with the successful Syrian campaigns of Thutmose
III.
Glass was produced by
heating quartz sand and
natron
until they were molten, adding a colour agent such as a copper
compound for blue and green. To make a glass vessel, a core of
sandy clay was moulded over the end of a metal rod to form the
interior shape. The rod was dipped into the molten glass and spun
to coat the core. The craftsman added details such as handles and
bases using tongs, while the glass was still
hot.
The colour of this
vessel probably imitates turquoise, the yellow and white represents
gold and silver. The tamarisk trees, dots and scales, and the name
of the king are enamelled, the earliest known example of this
technique in Egypt.