A group of Byzantine, decorative, Fatimid and Mamluk glass Weights

(11)

Footnotes

1) An early Byzantine glass vessel stamp with monogram , Egypt, of olive green colour
23mm. diam., 5.71gr.

Inscription:

MAYRIKIOY(?) for Mauritius Tiberius (578-582). Very few glass vessel stamps with monogram have been published, some are illustrated in Fremersdorf (1975, 703-705, pl. 31).

(2)
An early Byzantine glass vessel stamp with monogram
Egypt,
of pale green colour
19mm. diam., 3.03gr.

Only traces of the monogram.

(3)

An anonymous figurative glass vessel stamp

Of pale yellow colour
27mm. diam., 6.66gr.

With four legged animal standing at right, possibly a dog.

(4)
An anonymous figurative glass medallion
8th-9th Century
30mm. diam., 5.86gr.

Of cobalt blue colour

Depicting a man wearing a tunic and a turban sitting frontally with crossed legs with a glass in his left hand and at his right a bottle.

Several medallions of this type were probably attached as decorative stamps around the same bottle or cup (see Carboni 2001, p. 282-283, same die).

(5)
An anonymous figurative glass medallion
8th-9th Century
29mm. diam., 4.77gr.

Of cobalt blue colour

Depicting a man wearing a tunic and a turban, sitting frontally with crossed legs, with a glass in his left hand and at his right, a bottle.

See also notes on previous medallion.

(6)
A glass amulet describing Heracles and Nike
Egypt
18mm. diam., and 2.79gr.

Of green colour

Heracles with bearded head to right, to reverse a bust of Nike facing right. See Novak 2006, 1.


(7)
A glass vessel stamp in the name of the maker (?) b. Muhammad
Iran,
27mm. diam., 4.86gr.

Of pale yellow colour

Two line inscription in a circle of dots:

'umila.../ ibin Muhammad...
"Has been made by ... /b. Muhammad..."

For other examples with similar inscriptions and the same arrangement found in Iran see J. Kroger, Nishapur: Glass of the Early Islamic Period, 1995, p. 102-103.

Unpublished

(8)
A Fatimid glass half-dirham weight in the names of the Caliph al-Hakim and his heir (386-411AH/996-1020AD)
16mm. diam., 1.33gr.

Of pale green colour

Two line inscription:
al-Hakim bi-amr-Allah/ wa wali 'ahdihi
"al-Hakim bi-amr Allah/ and his heir".

(9)
An imitation of a Fatimid two dirham glass weight in the name of the Caliph Al-Muntansir (427-487AH/1035-1094AD)
Egypt,
31mm. diam., 5.86gr.

Of pale green colour

See Balog 1971-72-73, pl. 22 (7).

(10)
A Mamluk glass half-dirham weight in the name of al-Qurra' (?)
Egypt,
15mm. diam., 1.47gr.

Of amber colour

Retrograde inscription (?):
al-Qurra'
"the Readers"

al-Qurra' could mean "the readers", or "the ascetic" with the same spelling

(11)
A Mamluk anonymous two dirham glass weight
Egypt,
27mm. diam., 5.85gr.

Of deep amber colour

Ornate Solomon's seal.