Glass vase (Villaricos, Almería)

Cuevas de Almanzora (Almería). Emirato de Córdoba (Sala 23, Vitrina 16)

This glass vase from the Islamic necropolis of Villaricos displays a peculiar historic reconstruction formed by three strata: plaster, synthetic resin and a coat of greenish paint. The opacity of these materials has detracted from the beauty of the piece and rendered the original fragments practically indistinguishable from the reconstructed parts.

Nowadays, plaster is used to rebuild ceramic and stone objects but never glass pieces. In the 1960s and 70s polyester resins were commonly used to reintegrate glass objects, like the Islamic vases we see on the left from Madinat al-Zahra.

Over time, these plastic reconstructions have aged, acquiring dark yellow tones.