Octagonal Bottle

Unknown

500–629 · Moulded glass · Medieval Art

Only a few octagonal jars survive. They are all decorated with Jewish symbols. These vessels were made for Jews and Christians, possibly as tokens for pilgrims visiting the holy sites in Jerusalem or for use in burial rites. They appear to have been mass-produced in a single workshop, since the vessels for the two religions closely resemble each other in shape and style and differ only in the symbols decorating them. The Jewish vessels depict the menorah (candelabrum), shofar (ram’s horn), incense shovel, and lulav (palm branch). The Christian vessels are decorated with several types of crosses. The relief designs were produced by blowing molten glass into a mold.

Artist

Unknown

Date

500–629

Medium

Moulded glass

Culture

Byzantine

Department

Medieval Art

Credit line

H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929