Rock Crystal Flask

This small flask is made of rock crystal, the purest kind of quartz, which can be found along the earth's crust. According to 10th century accounts from Fatimid Egypt, rock crystal possessed magical and medicinal properties. Favoured by the Fatimid Caliphs, this preference was reflected in the sheer number of rock crystal vessels held in their royal Treasury (reportedly over 17,000 examples). This flask, of a hexagonal form tapering toward a narrow base, is carved in relief with a pattern of symmetrically disposed palmettes and half palmettes. It forms a small group of surviving rock crystal flasks produced in the Fatimid period for courtly use. The slight damage of the flask's base and lip might have resulted from it once having been mounted, a frequent occurrence of Islamic rock crystals when they entered into European churches. These often elaborate European embellishments reflected the high value placed on such vessels, which were adapted for liturgical purposes as reliquaries, chalices, and cruets.