This beautiful Anglo-Saxon or Frankish glass vessel was free-blown in a pale green glass and twisted to create shimmering swirls throughout the body.

The Migration Period was a time of turmoil. It saw the decline of the Roman Empire in the West, as well as the migration westward of many Germanic and Eurasian tribes, beginning with the invasion of Europe by the Huns in AD 375 and ending with the Lombards’s conquest of Italy in AD 568. Fortunately, the tradition of Roman glass making was perpetuated by the Empire’s newly arrived inhabitants. Despite its fragility, this ancient vessel has survived the unsteady times of its creation in an almost perfectly intact condition.

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Diameter: 6 1/4 inches (15.9 cm)

Height: 5 1/4 inches (13.3 cm)

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Provenance:

French private collection, acquired in the early 20th century.