Permanent Collection: Ancient Near Eastern Art: Trefoil Juglet Eastern Mediterranean, Late 6th - 5th centuries B.C. Glass, core-formed, 3 7/8 x 2 1/2 in. (10 x 6.3 cm). Gift of the Connoisseurs. 1987.2 The oldest known glass core-formed vessels date to about 1500 B.C. and were found in Western Asia and in Egypt. These vessels were made around a disposable core of material (clay or sand mixed with an organic binder) which was covered with hot glass (a mixture of silica, lime, and alkali). It was then decorated by trailing threads of glass of various colors around it. The shapes imitated those of metal and stone vessels of the same period. Glass vessels were considered very precious, not only because of the cost of manufacturing them but also because they were used as containers for expensive scented oils or powders. They were exported widely, and one of the centers of production for these white glass vessels was the island of Rhodes.

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