tour 3 of 21
The art of glass
Glass vessel in the form of a pomegranate
This pomegranate vessel is one of several found
on the island of Cyprus. With their shorter necks and pointed
leaves they differ from contemporary Egyptian versions, and are in
fact closer in form to the real pomegranate fruit. They belong to a
series of vessels that must have been made in Levantine
glasshouses, in Syria or Cyprus, as counterparts to the Egyptian
series which were more common at this time (the Late Bronze Age).
Since most of this particular form have been found on Cyprus, it
seems likely that they were made
there.
Other core-formed
vessels made in the Levant and not part of the Egyptian repertoire
include jugs with a spout at the lip, jugs on a tall base, and
tubular bottles crowned by
pomegranates.
Core-formed
glass vessels were not produced in Greece at this time, though
glass ornaments of bright blue or occasionally green glass with
flat backs and suspension holes have been found. These occur in
many different forms, the most common being rosettes and spirals.
They were evidently designed for personal ornament, often strung
together to form necklaces or diadems, and some may have been sewn
onto garments.