Scent bottle question

[potstone]

Hi folks,
I could use a little help here. This is a little scent bottle
that I'm trying to find some info on. As you can see
it is shaped like a lyre or scroll. It is mold blown and around
2 1/2" long. If any one has seen one before please let me know.
Thanks, Greg

 

[potstone]

#2

 

[surfaceone]

Happy New Year, Greg,

First, I gotta say, That is a Beauty, with a capital B! I've not seen another.

If you wanna see and listen to Ethnomusicologist Michael Levy play "The Song of Seikilos" on his lyre, give this a click. I'm guessing Mr.Levy knows his stuff, but how do you tune an instrument that old?

"THE BIBLICAL "NEVEL" LYRE
נבל

The other Biblical lyre referred to throughout thee Biblical Text is the “Nevel†(in ancient Hebrew: נבל). It is mistranslated in the Old Testament as “harp†– as discussed above, there is absoutely no archeaological evidence that harp was used in ancient Israel after the end of the Copper Age, around 3200BCE.

The Biblical Nevel is mentioned in 1 Samual 10:5, 2 Samual 6:5, Kings 10:12, Isiah 5:12, 14:11, Amos 5:23, 6:5, Psalm 33:2, 57:9, 71:22, 81:3, 92:4, 108:3, 144:9, Chronicles 13:8, 15:16, 20, 28; 16:5, 25:1, 6; 2 Chronicles 5:12; 9:11; 20:28; 29:25, Neh. 12:27.

Unlike the Kinnor, the exact meaning of the word “Nevel†is ambiguous, as the Hebrew root “nvl†can be pronouncd in two different ways – either “naval†or “nevel†.

“Naval†can mean “carcassâ€, implying that the Biblical Nevel was a lyre with a skin membrane as a soundboard (similar to the ancient Greek “Lyra†– the lyre with a tortoise shell resonator, over which was stretched a soundboard of taut animal skin)...

The alternative interpretation, if the word is pronounced “Nevelâ€, means “Skin bottleâ€. This could mean a lyre with a regular wooden soundboard, but shaped like a skin bottle." AncientLyre.com.

": Lyre
The reports of bibliography in this holy instrument begin from the "Epic of Digeni Akrita" around the 11th Century a. C. The form of the lyre was not as it is today even if it is not known how it really was. The only thing sure is that its manufacture is owed to the will of the people to maintain for more time the sound that was produced by a string.
This was achieved with the manufacture of a bow, as since then, the sound was produced by the touch of fingers on the strings. The "Homeland" of the lyre, that is the place that it first appeared, is Asia. According to W. Bachmann, in Asia was found the oldest and less questionable pictorial document that is dated around the 9th century a.C.
The Lyre is distinguished in Pear-shaped and Bottle-shaped. The Pear-shaped is mainly presented in the islands of Greece and Crete while the Bottle-shaped presents in Pontos and Kappadokia.
Distinguished musicologist Lampros Liavas locates the first depiction of a Pear-shaped lyra in a mural of the 17th/18th century a.C. in the St Grigorios Abbey of Agion Oros. The older lyre saved, is of the same season(1743). One of the oldest musical instruments today in Europe, that is called "diva" is exhibited in the museum of traditional instruments (collection of Fivos Anogiannakis).
The lyre is influenced a lot by the violin and thus progressively we see that a lot of efforts of reconstruction have been made, so as to remind the violin. A classic example is the manufacture of the viololyra or lyraviola as it is said around 1960, on the island of Crete.

The accompanying musical instrument for lyre on Crete is the lute. Most times the lute keeps the rhythm for lyre except certain cases where in Central and Western Crete the lute plays precisely the same melody as the lyre. In Eastern Crete the accompanying instruments for the lyre is the guitar, as well as the ntaoulaki. It's worth saying that in the beginning of the 20th Century in Rethimno the accompanying instrument for lyre was the Mpoulgari, master of which was St. Foustalierakis (Foustalieris). The three strings of the lyre are La, Re, Sol. The materials of its manufacture are mainly the beech, the mulberry tree, the ivy, wild pear tree, walnut tree, as well as the maple tree. " From here.

What is this Lyre/bottle/scent connection all about... Some of the older Lyre bottles, like your tiny one, are positively lyrical...

"FIGURAL LYRE, American Bottles & Flasks page 401 number 1, 5 ¼" High, aqua, Open Pontil, outward folded lip, very bold embossing, sparkling perfect condition. A super example of this rare bottle." Found here.

There's another gorgeous one over here.

The Lyre/Bottle/Scent axis of beauty is alive and well today. Check out this modern Lyre Perfume.

"...But the best verses no doubt arise when, the wine low in the bottle, Dionysus is still steady enough to dance to the tune of Apollo's lyre." From the steenking LA Times.

PS: Does anyone know if it is possible to get the little YouTube window to display here? Isn't there some sorta code prefix for that?

 

[potstone]

WOW!!!! Thanks for all that information,
Very much appreciated, Greg