Title
Four gaming pieces
Year/Period
13th century
Region
Egypt or Syria
Object Type
Material
Technique
Dimension
Gross measurement: (each) Diam1.6 – 1.9 cm x H1.8 – 2.2 cm,
Object size: Refer to parts
Object size: Refer to parts
Accession No.
2024-01215
Collection of
These pieces could have been used as counters in games such as backgammon, although it would be difficult to determine with absolute certainty. These pieces are exemplars of high-quality glass, which represent one of the most significant artistic developments of the Islamic Middle East. Islamic artists in the region were technical successors to the ancient glass traditions of Greece and Rome. Inherited techniques include trail decoration (drizzling molten glass onto cooled surfaces) and marvering (rolling a hot glass vessel onto strips of coloured glass) - the latter of which is the technique employed in the production of these pieces.
