Pendant

Unknown

9th–12th century · Glass; blown, applied, marvered, tooled on the pontil · Islamic Art

Whether objects bearing combed and marvered decoration, such as this one, were formed on a core or a rod or were free-blown, the ornamentation was produced in precisely the same manner, yielding a similar effect. When the vessel was still viscous, glass threads of one or more colors were trailed on the surface. These threads were then combed, or dragged with a bronze pin or hook into feather, festoon, zigzag, or other patterns. Finally, these threads were marvered, pressed into the surface by rolling the vessel on a flat stone.

Artist

Unknown

Date

9th–12th century

Medium

Glass; blown, applied, marvered, tooled on the pontil

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Bequest of Mary Anna Palmer Draper, 1915