Cup

Art Historical Context

This delicate cup, crafted by the New England Glass Company in the 19th century, exemplifies the finesse of early American glassmaking. Standing just 2½ inches tall with a diameter of 2⅜ inches, it was fashioned from blown glass—a technique where molten glass is gathered on a blowpipe and shaped by skilled inflation and tooling. This method allowed artisans to create slender, elegant forms that captured light beautifully, making everyday objects like this one both functional and ornamental. Founded in 1818 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the New England Glass Company was a powerhouse of the American glass industry, producing high-quality tableware that rivaled European imports. During the 19th century, as the U.S. industrialized, firms like this one innovated with free-blown and later pressed glass, democratizing luxury for growing middle-class households. This cup likely served as a cordial or tasting vessel, reflecting the era's taste for refined domesticity. Now housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing, it was generously gifted by Mrs. Emily Winthrop Miles in 1946. As a snapshot of Yankee ingenuity, it invites us to appreciate the unsung artistry behind America's material culture.

About the Artist

New England Glass Company · 1818–1888

**The New England Glass Company: Pioneers of American Flint Glass** The New England Glass Company was established on February 16, 1818, in East Cambridge, Massachusetts, by a quartet of prominent local businessmen: Amos Binney, Edmund Munroe, Daniel Hastings, and Deming Jarves. Jarves, drawing on his dry goods background and talent for recruiting Europe's finest cutters, served as operational man...