Crystal Flask

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 454

Rock crystal was one of the most treasured materials at the Fatimid court. Imported from afar, the material was endowed with magical properties. Because of the hardness of the material, carving such smoothly beveled vegetal designs in rock crystal required tremendous skill and patience. This flask probably served as a perfume container.

Crystal Flask, Rock crystal; carved and drilled

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.