Lot 48: A BYZANTINE STAMPED GLASS PILGRIM WITH MENORAH, LATE 6TH - EARLY 7TH CENTURY A.D.

A rare and historically significant stamped glass vessel, identified as a pilgrim bottle or double-stamped unguentarium, likely dating to the 6th–7th century AD from the Levant region of the Eastern Mediterranean. The piece features a small gourd-shaped or double-bulbed free-blown body. The primary vessel is crafted from translucent glass which has developed a thick, silvery-white iridescent weathered surface due to devitrification and long-term burial. The top rim and the base are finished with applied molten discs of vibrant cobalt blue glass, each impressed with a specific intaglio stamp.

The top blue glass stamp displays a classic Jewish iconographic symbol: a seven-branched menorah with a central vertical shaft and three symmetrical curved branches on each side, resting on a flared tripod-style base. The bottom blue glass stamp features a crested bird facing right, possibly a peacock or a rooster, depicted with a rounded body, two legs, a curved neck, and a long tail. 

L: 3.5cm