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Physician's Cupping Glass or Alembic

9th–11th century
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 453
The suggested identifications for this object, of which numerous examples have been found at Nishapur and other excavation sites, include cupping glass, alembic, baby feeder, and breast reliever. The most recent proposal splits the objects into two types: those with straight spouts and those with curved spouts. The straight-spouted vessels may have served as alembics, which are used in distilling liquids; those with curved spouts may have served as cupping glasses, which were placed on the skin in medieval medical treatments. Only one thing is clear: after the twelfth century, the production of both types ceased.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Physician's Cupping Glass or Alembic
  • Date: 9th–11th century
  • Geography: Attributed to Iran, Nishapur. Excavated in Iran, Nishapur
  • Medium: Glass, greenish; blown, applied spout
  • Dimensions: H. 1 15/16 in. (5 cm)
    W. 3 7/8 in. (9.8 cm)
  • Classification: Glass
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1940
  • Object Number: 40.170.132
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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Physician's Cupping Glass or Alembic - The Metropolitan Museum of Art