Brandy Tumbler
Unknown Artist
19th century (?)
Medium
Cut blown glass
Dimensions
H. 1 7/8 in. (4.8 cm); Diam. 1 3/8 in. (3.5 cm)
Classification
Brandy tumbler
Culture
British, probably
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Fisher Howe, Stanley Mather Howe, and Lawrence Howe, in memory of Mrs. Fisher Howe (Eliza Briggs Cronkite) 1854 - 1924, 1925
Accession Number
25.129.4
Art Historical Context
This delicate **Brandy Tumbler**, crafted from cut blown glass in the 19 century (or thereabouts), exemplifies the refined artistry of British glassmaking, likely produced for affluent households. Standing just 1 7/8 inches tall and 1 3/8 inches in diameter, its petite scale suggests it was designed for savoring small measures of brandy—perhaps as a tasting glass or part of a gentleman's pocket set. The medium of blown glass, shaped by inflating molten glass into a mold and then meticulously cut with diamond-point wheels or grinding wheels, created sparkling facets that caught the light and en...