Extremely Rare Ancient Egyptian Glass Mosaic Inlay

Extremely Rare Ancient Egyptian Glass Mosaic Inlay

 

Year: 1st Century B.C.-1st Century A.D.

 

Dimensions: 2.1cm x 1.6cm

 

Provenance: Early European private collection, acquired in the 1960s and brought to the U.S. in 1978

 

Giovanni Sarpellon - Miniature Masterpieces, Mosaic Glass 1838-1924 (English edition)

• Ancient Egypian Mosaic Glass Inlay - Similar - Page 10, fig 8

 

 

 

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Item #: 1002

Ancient Egyptian Glass

 

The origins of glass date back thousands of years, with some of the earliest examples of glass creations coming from ancient Egypt and Rome in the first century B.C. Even before the glassblowing technique was realized, "glass-smiths" discovered they could fuse molten glass rods together to form what we know today as mosaic glass (murrine). Using this same concept, the glassworker could then assemble various canes together of different designs and colors to create more complex miniature images, including geometric designs, flowers, animals, and faces. Mosaic glass reached its peak around the first century A.D., followed by a rapid decline in production and popularity - possibly due to the new discovery of the glassblowing technique. The re-emergence of mosaic glass did not take place until the nineteenth century in Murano where some of the world’s best glass art is still produced today.