Prism
mid-19th century
Medium
glasswares
Classification
glasswares
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Granville Price
Accession Number
1992-163-1
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
**Prism** *Unknown artist, mid-19th* Glasswares Smithsonian American Art Museum Step into the shimmering world of 19th-century American craftsmanship with *Prism*, a delicate glassware piece from the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection. Dating to the mid-1800s, this enigmatic exemplifies the era's fascination with light, refraction, and optical beauty. Crafted from glass—a medium prized for its transparency and versatility—*Prism* likely captures and scatters light in mesmerizing rainbows, a technique that highlighted the technical prowess of American glassmakers during a tim...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...