Dish
Unknown Artist
1830–50
Medium
Lacy pressed glass
Dimensions
Diam. 5 9/16 in. (14.1 cm)
Classification
Dish
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. F. N. Crosby, 1948
Accession Number
48.123
Art Historical Context
This delicate dish, crafted from lacy pressed glass around 0–50, exemplifies ingenuity of early American glass. Measuring just 59/16 inches (.1 cm) in, its intricate, lace-like patterns—achieved through a pressing technique—created an affordable yet elegant alternative to expensive cut glass. Popular in middle-class homes, these pieces brought refined beauty to everyday tabletops, reflecting the era's growing industrial prowess. Produced during a boom in American manufacturing, lacy pressed glass emerged from New England factories, where semi-automated presses allowed for mass production of f...