Cup plate
1830–35
Medium
Pressed glass
Dimensions
Diam.: 8.6 cm (3 3/8 in.)
Classification
plate (general, dish)
Department
Arts of the Americas
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
82718
Art Historical Context
Nestled in the Art Institute of Chicago's Arts of the Americas collection, this unassuming cup plate exemplifies the ingenuity of early 19th-century American glassmaking. Crafted between 1830 and 1835 from pressed glass, it measures just 3⅜ inches in diameter—perfectly sized for its practical purpose. Cup plates like this one were everyday essentials in American households, used to rest teacups between sips, safeguarding fine table linens from drips and heat. Pressed glass, a revolutionary technique patented in the 1820s, allowed for affordable, mass-produced objects with intricate molded pat...