Bell Beaker

Place of Originprobably France or Germany

Date6th-7th century

Dimensions4 5/8 × 3 1/4 in. (11.7 × 8.3 cm)

Mediumglass

ClassificationGlass

Credit LineGift of Dr. Richard H. Edmondson

Object number

1982.186

Not on View

DescriptionFree blown natural green glass with trailed and applied opaque white decoration. Thin glass. Many small spherical bubbles and several large elongated bubbles. Black specks and stone. Blowing spirals. Transparent yellowish gray glass (near 5Y 7/2), Opaque white thread. Free-blown. No pontil mark. Added thread and knob?. Rim rounded and thickened in flame. Inverted conical upper body flaring outward again toward carinated lower body. Convex base with knob projecting from the center. Around rim, at least four revolutions of very thin thread overlaying each other to give the effect of a thick thread. Around upper body, at least six revolutions of very thin thread trailed on downward from right to left. CLASSIFICATION On base, an opaque white tip added to point of base.

Published References"The Krug Collection of Glass Part II," Sotheby's, London, December 7, 1981, lot 238.

Effros, Bonnie, "Art of the 'Dark Ages': Showing Merovingian artifacts in North American Public and Private Collections," Journal of the History of Collections, vol. 17, no. 1, 2005, repr., p. 97, p. 110, no. 100.