Bowl, thick, colorless glass, facet-cut

The form and facet-cut decoration of this bowl are characteristic of Sasanian glass. It is covered entirely by a pattern of hexagonal, slightly concave facets that were cut on a grinding wheel. The form of the facets varies slightly so that the pattern can continue uninterrupted from top to bottom. This type of “honeycomb” decoration was adopted by the early Islamic glassmakers, who used it on glass objects in other shapes. 

Renowned Sasanian glass was exported all the way to the Far East. A closely related bowl in Tokyo can be dated to before 535, the year of the death of the Emperor Ankan, in whose tomb it was found.