Primary Description:
Possibly Fragment of Ewer with Palmettes and Half-Palmettes. Colorless rock crystal; relief-cut. Fragment of wall of ewer (?) (described here as if from lower wall), which curves down and in to a horizontal rib, then striaghtens and tapers. Decorated in relief with part of frieze, with rib forming lower border. Ornament consists of continuous, presumabley symmetrical pattern of scrolling stems, which terminate in palmettes, half-palmettes, and leaves. Neat top of fragment, small oval motif with partly countersunk center, traces of two stems rising from top, and pair of stems descending from bottm, curving to right and left, then curling inward and terminating in half-palmettes. Below these, and directly beneath oval motif, smaller, downward-pointing tear-shaped motif. To left of tear-shaped motif and below it, extending almost to rib, downward-pointing palmette, from which rise tow stems that curve up and out, then divide with (surviving only to right of palmette) one branch curving down and terminating in curling, partly countersunk leaf; other branches (surviving on both sides) curve in and up, and meet thereby enclosing countersunk diamond-shaped area. All stems are notched, and left stem in upper pair has point of attachement with right stem in lower pair.