Considerations on the Function and Provenance of the Glass in the Plato von Ustinow Collection

Dominic Ingemark

doi:10.5617/clara.8777

Abstract

The Russian émigré Plato von Ustinow – who settled in Palestine in 1862 and lived there until 1913 – was a keen collector of antiquities. In contrast to other collectors, however, von Ustinow did not purchase the objects from art-dealers. Instead, he appears to have worked with professional archaeologists, but also bought objects from local inhabitants in Jaffa and Jerusalem. His collection includes a substantial number of glass vessels: primarily blown vessels dating to the first- to sixth- or seventh century CE, i.e. the Roman and Early Byzantine era. The von Ustinow collection is comparatively homogeneous, and most of the objects are likely to stem from a relatively limited geographical area, as it closely resembles material from funerary contexts found in modern-day Israel. The collection includes a number of perfume bottles, small jars and kohl-flasks, objects most probably utilised in the preparation of the deceased before burial.

Highlights

Glass – once exclusive and expensive – became an inexpensive, cheap, massproduced material in the Roman period.[1]
The von Ustinow collection is comparatively homogeneous, and most of the objects are likely to stem from a relatively limited geographical area, as it closely resembles material from funerary contexts found in modern-day Israel
Summary As demonstrated throughout this study, we know more about the context and function of the glass in the von Ustinow Collection than many other museum collections

Summary

Introduction

Glass – once exclusive and expensive – became an inexpensive, cheap, massproduced material in the Roman period.[1]. The von Ustinow collection is comparatively homogeneous, and most of the objects are likely to stem from a relatively limited geographical area, as it closely resembles material from funerary contexts found in modern-day Israel.

Results

Conclusion