Decanter

Art Historical Context

This elegant decanter, crafted by the renowned Pittsburgh glasshouse Bakewell, Page & Bakewell around 1826–35, exemplifies early American luxury glassware. Standing at 7⅜ inches tall, it was made from blown and cut glass, a labor-intensive process where molten glass is shaped by blowing, then meticulously engraved and faceted for brilliance and texture. The standout feature is its clay cameo—a raised, white clay portrait of Benjamin Franklin in profile—applied to the surface, blending glassworking with cameo-cutting traditions borrowed from classical antiquity and popular in Europe. Bakewell,...