Covered Sugar Bowl
Unknown Artist
1780–1820
Medium
Blown pattern-molded lead glass
Dimensions
H. 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm)
Classification
Sugar bowl
Culture
American or British
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Frederick W. Hunter, 1913
Accession Number
13.179.15
Art Historical Context
This delicate Covered Sugar Bowl, crafted between 1780 and 1820, exemplifies the refined tableware of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Made of blown pattern-molded lead glass, it stands just 4¼ inches (10.8 cm) tall, perfect for elegant tea services in American or British homes. The medium—lead glass, prized for its clarity and sparkle—allowed artisans to create luxurious, affordable alternatives to imported porcelain, reflecting growing colonial prosperity and transatlantic trade. The technique of pattern-molding involved blowing molten glass into engraved molds, imprinting textured d...