Serçe Limani Shipwreck Glass

The Catalogue

Serçe Limani Shipwreck Glass

Goblet with Lion Decoration
Height: 14 cm, Diameter of Rim: 7.5 cm.
Found in the excavations of Serçe Limanı in 1977. Excavation inventory number: GW 99.
Colourless transparent glass, made by free-blowing. Has thin walls and wheel-cutting ornamentation. Has a plain, round rim, a long, cylindrical body which tapers slightly as it descends, and a flat bottom. Decorated with a wheel-cutter while the glass was still hot. There are two etched lion figures on the bottom section of the cup, between two parallel horizontal bands. The lions have broad faces, thick noses, and almond-shaped eyes. They are standing on their hind legs, with the front legs up in the air. The body is decorated with diagonal stripes and tail is an S-curve. In this period, relief lines made by hot-cutting were used to give perspective to figures. This goblet, as thin as paper, is remarkably well-preserved. There are some air bubbles in the glass, but no weathering on the exterior surface.
Date: The Islamic Period (The State of Fatimid), 1025 AD.
Publications: Prof. Dr. Frederick H.Van Doorninck, 1990, p.58-63, photo 74; Marilyn Jenkins, 1986, p.6-7.

Bowl
Height: 6.5 cm, Diameter of Rim: 14 cm.
Found in the excavations of Serçe Limanı in 1977. Excavation inventory number: GW 109.
Light green, transparent glass, made by free-blowing. Has a round flared rim that was polished in fire. A bright green ribbon of decorative glass encircles the bowl just below the rim. The molded decorations begin just below the flat lip of the bowl. They consist of raised relief squares with raised dots in the middle. The bottom of the hemi-globe is flat, and there is a star relief in its center. The bowl is well-preserved. It has some scratches below the rim and some air bubbles in the glass.
Date: The Islamic Period (The State of Fatimid), 1025 AD.
Publication: F.Van Doorninck, 1990, p.58-63, photo 70.

Goblet
Height: 10.5 cm, Diameter of Rim: 6.5 cm, Diameter of Base: 4 cm.
Found in the excavations of Serçe Limanı in 1977. Excavation inventory number: GW 100.
Colourless transparent glass, made by mold-blowing. It is lightweight, with a thin wall and etched decorations. The rim is irregularly cut and not exactly round. It has a cylindrical body which tapers slightly towards the flat bottom. Curved decorative lines are seen between two sets of horizontal bands, the upper of which divides the goblet in half. The decorations are architectural columns with the capitals and arches that connect them. There are also small round decorations on the pendants of the arches. The vertical etched lines between the columns are reminiscent of props. The cup is well-preserved, but does have some air bubbles in the glass.
Date: The Islamic Period (The State of Fatimid), 1025 AD.
Publication: F.Van Doorninck, 1990, p.58-63, photo 68.

Jug
Height: 18 cm, Diameter of Belly: 9.6 cm.
Found in the excavations of Serçe Limanı in 1977. Excavation inventory number: GW 93.
Light green, transparent glass, made by free-blowing and decorated with etching. Has an oval shaped rim with one side shaped like a beak. The jug (small carafe) has a thin neck, a long, oval body which widens as it descends, and one handle. There is a pontil mark on the flattened concave bottom. The handle was attached to the lower part of body and drawn upwards. Before attaching it to the rim, a thumb rest was created. Thick vertical decorative lines are visible on the shoulder of the jug. The body ornamentation is enclosed in a metope by two sets of stripes. There are floral designs in the upper part and architectural features, like arches and columns in the lower part of this double-sectioned metope. The decorations are done by cutting. There are some air bubbles in the glass and weathering on the exterior surface.
Date: The Islamic Period (The State of Fatimid), 1025 AD.
Publication: F.Van Doorninck, 1990, p.58-63, photo 71.

Jug
Height: 15.5 cm, Diameter of Rim: 5 cm, Diameter of Body: 7.7 cm, Diameter of Bottom: 5.5 cm.
Found in the excavations of Serçe Limanı in 1977. Excavation inventory number: GW 94.
Light yellow-green, transparent glass, made by free-blowing. Has a thick, round, fire-polished rim, a funnel-shaped neck which tapers downwards to join a globular body. It has a flat bottom. One end of the handle is attached to the body, the other to the rim. A piece of glass was drawn upwards by a tool and left in place for use as a thumb-rest. There are some air bubbles in the glass and weathering on the exterior surface.
Date: The Islamic Period (The State of Fatimid), 1025 AD.
Publication: F.Van Doorninck, 1990, p.58-63, photo 71.

Bowl-Cup
Height: 6.5 cm, Diameter of Rim: 11 cm.
Found in the excavations of Serçe Limanı in 1977. Excavation inventory number: GW 106.
Yellow transparent glass, made by mold-blowing. Has a round, plain rim which is encircled by dark yellow glass ribbons, with a few more thin threads just below them. There are diagonal relief grooves decorations on the hemispherical body. The single is placed vertically on the body. An upper and lower spur were fashioned on the handle both to strengthen the handle and to make it easier to hold. There is some decoration and a pontil mark in the middle of flat bottom. The body of the cup is cracked and one part is broken and missing.
Date: The Islamic Period (The State of Fatimid), 1025 AD.
Publication: F.Van Doorninck, 1990, p.58-63, photo 69.

Cup
Height: 5.8 cm, Width: 6.5cm, Diameter of Bottom: 3 cm.
Found in the excavations of Serçe Limanı in 1977. Excavation inventory number: GW 105.
Pink-beige, transparent glass, made by free-blowing. A drinking cup, with a plain, round, rim encircled with a bright green band of glass, and decorated with thin lines just below the glass band. The cylindrical body expands slightly toward the bottom. The single handle is curved, attached to the lower part of body, folded over to create a finger-rest and then attached to the rim. There is a flattened tubular base-ring on the bottom. There are some air bubbles and diagonal scratches on the glass.
Date: The Islamic Period (The State of Fatimid), 1025 AD.
Publication: F.Van Doorninck, 1990, p.58-63, photo 69.

Cup
Height: 4.4 cm, Diameter of Body: 6.2 cm.
Found in the excavations of Serçe Limanı in 1978. Excavation inventory number: GW 243.
Light yellow-beige, transparent glass, made by free-blowing. Has a plain, round rim, encircled by two parallel bright green band just below the rim. There is another decorative ring on neck of the cup. The cylindrical body expands slightly through to the bottom. The handle is attached to the lower part of body, drawn up and folded over to create a spur-shaped finger-rest, and then attached the rim. There is a flattened tubular base-ring on the bottom. There are some air bubbles and diagonal scratches in the glass.
Date: The Islamic Period (The State of Fatimid), 1025 AD.
Publication: F.Van Doorninck, 1990, p.58-63, photo 69.

Goblet
Height: 5.3 cm, Diameter of Rim: 5.8 cm, Diameter of Bottom: 4.7 cm.
Found in the excavations of Serçe Limanı in 1978. Excavation inventory number: GW 149.
Very light greenish-beige, transparent glass, made by free-blowing and decorated by the wheel-cutting technique. Has a round, slightly flared rim, which was polished in fire. A squat cup with a cylindrical body, it has zigzag decoration made with two parallel lines. The zigzag is arranged between two parallel horizontal lines that encircle the cup. There are some ornamental grooves cut into the triangular fields created by the zigzag design. The bottom is slightly flattened and concave. The air bubbles in the glass are very evident.
Date: The Islamic Period (The State of Fatimid), 1025 AD.
Publication: F.Van Doorninck, 1990, p.58-63, photo 68.