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Kohl Tube

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Image Not Available for Kohl Tube
Kohl Tube
Image Not Available for Kohl Tube

Kohl Tube

Place of OriginProbably northwestern Iran
Date5th-4th century BCE, possibly later
DimensionsH: 3 1/8 in. (7.9 cm); Diam (lip): 5/8 in. (1.6 cm); Diam (body): 9/16 in. (1.4 cm)
MediumRod-formed; applied marvered, partly marvered, and unmarvered threads.
ClassificationGlass
Credit LineGift of Duane Wilder
Object number
1980.1002
Not on View
DescriptionKohl tube. Dark ground (appearing black) with opaque white, opaque brick red, and yellowish-green decoration. Slightly outsplayed lip encircled by a coil that acts as a rim; short cylindrical neck; no shoulder; elongated body, square in horizontal section, with four flat sides; body tapers slightly downward to a flat bottom. The inside of the tube is cylindrical and extends to the bottom. An unmarvered twisted coil of opaque white and "black" threads is attached at the edge of the lip; a marvered opaque brick-red thread and a partly marvered yellowish-green thread wound horizontally around the neck; a twisted coil, marvered, of black and opaque white wound horizontally around the uppermost part of the body; just below, marvered opaque brick-red and yellowish-green threads attached and tooled into an irregular zigzag pattern extending to the basal angle. Marvered coils of twisted black and opaque white threads rise vertically along the four corners of the body.
Published References

"Recent Important Acquisitions," Journal of Glass Studies 23, 1981, p. 91, fig. 3.

Grose, David F., Early Ancient Glass: Core-Formed, Rod-Formed, and Cast Vessels and Objects from the Late Bronze Age to the Early Roman Empire, 1600 B.C. to A.D. 50, New York, Hudson Hills Press in association with the Toledo Museum of Art, 1989, Cat. No. 32, p. 86, Repr. (col.) p. 69.

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