Glass hemispherical mosaic bowl
Greek, probably Eastern Mediterranean
Translucent purple, translucent light blue, opaque white, and opaque yellow.
Slightly uneven vertical rim; convex side, tapering downward; slightly concave bottom.
Composite mosaic pattern formed from polygonal sections of three canes: the first in a purple ground with a white spiral and central blue circle; the second in a blue ground with a white spiral and central purple circle, and the third in a blue ground with a yellow spiral, appearing green and central purple circle; a purple cane wound spirally with two fine threads in white and yellow is attached as a rim.
Broken and repaired, with one patch of fill; some pitting and dulling, iridescence, and weathering, especially on rim.
Rotary grinding marks on interior.
The red, blue, and green mosaic glass of this exquisite bowl was fused, placed over a mold, ground, and then polished. Hemispherical bowls were an especially popular form of mosaic glassware, perhaps because they show off the polychrome decoration to good effect.
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