Alabastron. Greece, 6th-4th century BC.

Alabastron. Greece, 6th-4th century BC.
Vitreous paste with zigzag decoration in yellow, white and black tones.
Condition: good state of preservation
Provenance: Georges Savès Collection (1908-1985)
Height: 10,2 cm

Elegant Greek alabastron made in glass, with a cylindrical body slightly tapered towards the base and a flat rim, with two small perforated side handles. The surface is decorated with a zigzag motif in white and yellow glass threads on a dark background, applied using the trail and combed decoration technique, common in eastern Mediterranean glass production between the 6th and 4th centuries BC.
This type of vessel, small in size and elongated in shape, was intended for the storage and application of perfumes or oils. Their portability and careful ornamentation made them valuable objects in both domestic and funerary contexts.

This piece comes from the collection of Georges Savès (1908-1985), a French numismatist and collector with a deep vocation for archaeological study. Heir to a family tradition of collecting, he devoted himself fully from the 1950s to historical and numismatic research, especially on Toulouse and Gallic coins. Throughout his life, he assembled an eclectic collection of archaeological, ethnographic and artistic pieces, enriched in 1966 with the acquisition of part of the Roger Bédiat collection. Author of specialized studies, his legacy remains a reference in the academic and patrimonial fields.