This crystal vase is only about 10 cm. (app. 4 inch.) tall. It is displayed by the entrance to the collection of Islamic miniature art – my favorite part of the whole collection- so it took me several visits to notice it. Then one day I stopped to actually read the sign next to the vase.

It is indeed crystal but it is not made out of glass. It has been crafted out of a single block of quartz and in places the walls are as thin as a millimeter. Check the image yesterday to see how small the opening is at the top. This was all the opening the artist had to work with to hollow out the rest.