Investigating the Form and Application of Carafes Known as Ashkdan in the Collection of the Metropolitan Museum

 Traditional Iranian glassmaking in the Safavid period was revived after several decades of stagnation with the help of Venetian glassmakers who was invited to Iran by Shah Abbas. Glass Ashkdans are a collection of carafes and those that were made during Qajar period are found in most museums around the world as the hallmarks of Iranian glass art. The Metropolitan Museum has a valuable collection of this type of carafe (Ashkdan) belonging to the Qajar period, whose form and application are investigated in the present study.

The present study aims to investigate the form and application of Ashkdans in the Metropolitan Museum to answer the two questions: 1. what was the use of Ashkdan? and 2. how and when did Ashkdan become prominent in Iranian glass art? It also expresses the hypothesis that Ashkdan was first introduced by Venetian glassmakers into Iranian Glass art during the Safavid period, and its application varied over time, according to the cultural and social conditions of each period.

This applied qualitative descriptive-analytical study was conducted by using bibliographic databases and gathering the data from the field studies and through in-depth observations of the authors. The research sample is a collection of carafes referred to as Ashkdan belonging to the Qajar period. Ten samples of Ashkdans in the Metropolitan Museum were selected through a non-probability sampling method.

Based on the results, the application of Ashkdan is not related to its title and is based on its form. Making swan neck bottles became prominent by adaptation from western samples and using them as containers for wine, rosewater, and flower. Ashkdan, one of the most prominent works of Iranian glass art in the world, has received much attention since the Qajar period. The hypothesis on the influence of Venetian glassmakers on Iranian glass art in this study was approved. The form of the necks and mouths of the Ashkdans was influenced by the teachings of Venetian glassmakers, inspired by the Roman Kuttrolfs, and became common according to existing descriptions from the Safavid period. The samples in most museums around the world, especially in the Metropolitan Museum, belong to the Qajar period.