Bottle
Unknown Artist
18th century
Medium
Glass, metal
Dimensions
Height: 6 1/8 in. (15.6 cm)
Classification
Glass
Culture
Italian, Venice or German
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1883
Accession Number
83.7.161
Art Historical Context
This elegant 18th-century bottle, standing just 6 1/8 inches tall, exemplifies the exquisite craftsmanship of European decorative arts. Crafted from glass with metal elements, it hails from either Venice, Italy—renowned for its Murano glassmakers—or Germany, both hubs of innovative glass production during the period. Its petite scale suggests it may have served as a scent bottle, inkwell, table ornament, blending functionality with refined beauty. In the 18th century Venetian glass artists mastered techniques like filigrana (threaded glass) and intricate blowing, while German workshops excell...