Gorgeous Sassanian Glass Cup, Facet-Cut- Lot 94, Auction 2/6/2019

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Ancient Near East, Sassanian, ca. 3rd to 6th century CE. A gorgeous green glass cup with a thick-walled hemispheric body that is adorned by meticulously arranged circular facets. A large and deeply cut facet on the base provides a stable surface upon which it rests. When held to the light, one can appreciate not only its translucent quality but also how the passages of iridescence sparkle across the repeated faceted design! Size: 3.625″ in diameter x 2.875″ H (9.2 cm x 7.3 cm)

Faceted bowls such as this one are characterized by uniformity of shape, size, and arrangement of the facets in four, five, or in this case six rows. They represent the most widespread type of late Sasanian glass vessel, found in excavations of Mesopotamian and Iranian sites dating from the fifth to seventh century CE. Some examples