Flask
Unknown Artist
probably late 17th century
Medium
Glass
Dimensions
4 1/2 × 4 3/4 in. (11.4 × 12.1 cm)
Classification
Glass
Culture
French, Nevers
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Henry G. Marquand, 1883
Accession Number
83.7.215
Art Historical Context
This elegant glass flask, crafted in late 17th-century France by an unknown artist from Nevers, exemplifies the region's renowned tradition of enamel-painted glassware. Nevers, in central France, emerged as a key center for such decorative objects during the Baroque era under Louis XIV, blending functionality with artistic flair. Measuring just 4½ × 4¾ inches, this compact vessel was likely used to hold perfumes, oils, or medicinal elixirs, reflecting the opulent domestic life of the French nobility. The flask's significance lies in its masterful glassblowing and enamel decoration techniques....