Bowl
Unknown Artist
1800–1830
Medium
Blown pattern-molded lead glass
Dimensions
H. 2 7/8 in. (7.3 cm); Diam. 8 1/8 in. (20.6 cm)
Classification
Bowl
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1942
Accession Number
42.20.3
Art Historical Context
This elegant bowl, crafted by an unknown American artist between 1800 and 1830, exemplifies the ingenuity of early 19th-century glassmaking in the United States. Made of blown pattern-molded lead glass it measures just 2⅞ inches high and 8⅛ inches in diameter, creating a shallow, wide form ideal for serving fruits, sweets, or punch. The technique involved gathering molten glass on a blowpipe, inserting it into a patterned mold to imprint textures like ribs or swirls, and then reheating and expanding it for clarity and brilliance. Lead glass, prized for its refractive sparkle akin to European c...