Bowl
Unknown Artist
1830–50
Medium
Free-blown glass
Dimensions
H. 5 in. (12.7 cm); Diam. 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm)
Classification
Bowl
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1936
Accession Number
39.56.3
Art Historical Context
This delicate free-blown glass bowl, crafted by an unknown American artist between 1830 1850, exemplifies the artisanal skill of early 19th-century glassmakers. Standing just 5 inches tall with a 3½-inch diameter, its petite form suggests it was designed for practical use—perhaps holding candies, nuts, or small trinkets on a parlor table. Free-blowing, the technique used here, involved gathering molten glass on a blowpipe and shaping it through skillful breath and manipulation without molds, allowing for fluid, organic contours that highlight the glassblower's expertise. Produced during a bur...