Bowl

Art Historical Context

This elegant bowl, crafted by Challinor, Taylor and Company 1870 and 1885, exemplifies the ingenuity of American glassmaking during the post-Civil War industrial boom Made of pressed purple marble—a technique that allowed for affordable, mass-produced pieces mimicking the luxury of hand-cut crystal—the bowl stands just 4½ inches high and 9¾ inches in diameter. Its vibrant purple hue, likely achieved through manganese impurities that deepen with sunlight exposure, and marbled texture evoke the natural beauty of agate or marble, blending functionality with subtle artistry. Pressed glass like this represented a democratic shift in Victorian-era design, making ornate tableware accessible to middle-class households. Challinor, Taylor and Company, a prominent firm, specialized in such innovative molding processes, pressing molten glass into detailed molds for precise, repeatable patterns. Displayed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing, this piece highlights how American manufacturers adapted European techniques to fuel domestic growth and everyday elegance. A generous gift from Mrs. Emily Winthrop Miles in 1946, the bowl invites visitors to appreciate the intersection of industry and aesthetics—an enduring symbol of 19th-century optimism in American material culture.

About the Artist

Challinor, Taylor and Company · 1866–1891

Challinor, Taylor and Company was an American pressed glass manufacturer founded in 1866 and based in Tarentum, Pennsylvania, a community along the Allegheny River that was home to several of the nineteenth century's most innovative glassmakers. The firm operated until 1891, when it was absorbed into the United States Glass Company as Factory C — part of the great industrial consolidation that res...