Egg Cup
1830–70
Medium
Pressed glass
Dimensions
5 x 8 1/4 x 10 in. (12.7 x 21 x 25.4 cm)
Classification
Egg cup
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Emily Winthrop Miles, 1946
Accession Number
46.140.157
Art Historical Context
Nestled in The American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Egg Cup from the New Glass Company (active 1830–70) exemplifies the ingenuity of 19th-century glassmaking. Crafted from pressed glass and measuring 5 x 8¼ x 10 inches, it was generously gifted by Mrs. Emilythrop Miles in 194. Far more than a simple utilitarian object, this piece reflects the era's blend of functionality and ornamentation, designed for serving boiled eggs at the breakfast table. Pressed glass, the innovative medium here, revolutionized American household goods during the Industrial Revolution. Molten glass was pou...
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...