Footed Dish
Medium
Pressed colorless and opalescent glass
Dimensions
H. 2 5/8 in. (6.7 cm); Diam. 3 3/4 in. (9.5 cm)
Classification
Dish
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Emily Winthrop Miles, 1946
Accession Number
46.140.401
Art Historical Context
This delicate footed dish, crafted 1888 by the Richards and Hartley Flint Glass Co., the ingenuity of American glassmaking during late Victorian era. Produced pressed colorless and opalescent, it measures just 2⅝ inches high and 3¾ inches in diameter, making it a perfect petite serving piece for desserts or condiments. The opalescent finish—creating a soft, iridescent shimmer—adds a touch of luxury, mimicking the costly hand-cut crystal favored by the elite. Pressed glass, a revolutionary technique perfected in 19th-century America, allowed factories like Richards and Hartley in Tarentum, Pen...
About the Artist
Richards and Hartley Flint Glass Co. · 1867–1890
**Richards & Hartley Flint Glass Co.** Nestled in the heart of Pittsburgh's thriving flint glass industry, Richards & Hartley Flint Glass Co. was established in 1865 as a partnership producing pressed tableware. Founded by Joseph Richards, William T. Hartley, and John Wilson, the firm leased property on Locust Street near Pride Street, capitalizing on the region's abundant natural gas and skilled...