At the time of the Arab
conquest in the seventh century A.D.,glassmaking had flourished in Egypt and
western Asia for more than two milliennia. Futhermore,glassmakers in those
regions went about their business despite the momentous political,social and
religious changes taking palce around. In the field of Islamic art, glass is a
carft that often rose to excellence but has been largely overlooked by art
historians. Islamic glass production
from the seventh through the fourteenth century was also greatly innovative and
witnessed glorious phases—such as those of superb relief-cut glass and
spectacular glided and enameled objects.
Figure 1: coloured glass kendi in Muzium Asia UM
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Thousands of anonymous
glassmakers, from Cairo to Delhi, proudly transmitted their knowledge from one
generation to the next,experimenting with the colours,shapes,techniques and
surface decoration of this extraodinarily versatile material. The oldest pieces
found are in Egypt and Babylon they certainly are ‘fit for a sultan’ . two
molds from the medieval Islamic world are the only ones to survive,but the
basic technology of nonindustrial glassmaking and tools employed have not
changed.
Figure 2: coloured glass kendi in Muzium Asia UM
Date on 3rd
millennium B.C, There was the molding techique which involve a core of sand
(mold) being held by a metal rod which was repeatedly dipped into molten
glass,rolled and smoothed, until a thick layer of glass adhered to the core in
the manner of glaze,the core was removed after the glass had cooled.
By the first century
A.D., new technique of making glass. This was the blowing technique and was of
such importance that is has lasted to the present day. The glass is blown,when
it is red hot and soft, into bubble which is then formed into a shape by using
the blower’s pipe
The blowpipe is an iron or
steel tube, usually live feet long for blowing a parison or gather of molten
glass. Molds are used to impress decorative pattern on the prison. Dip molds
have the typical form of a conical beaker, and the pontil, a solid metal rod
that is applied to the base of a vessel to hold it after it is cut off from
blowpipe. The pontil leaves an irregular ring-shaped mark on the base known as
a ‘pontil mark’. Wooden blocks,jacks, to shape the mouth of an open vessel and
shears to trim excess hot glass during production. A marver use for a smooth
flat stone or metal surface over which softened glass is rolled is also an
essential tool of the glassmaker. In this collection, almost all of the
glassware came from Iran or Persia area. The shape likely a bottle.
Archaeologys of glass
Islamik had found a lot of shape, method, features and dated of glass Islamik.
For more information : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS-Gf21NJtg&feature=youtu.be