Quart Decanter

Art Historical Context

This elegant Quart Decanter, crafted in pressed glass between 1830 and 1870, exemplifies the ingenuity of American glassmaking during the Industrial Revolution. Standing at 11¾ inches tall, it was designed to hold a quart of liquid—likely spirits or wine—for gracious entertaining in middle-class homes. Now housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing, it entered the collection as a gift from Mrs Emily Winthrop Miles in1946, preserving a slice of everyday American luxury. Pressed glass revolutionized decorative arts in the 19th century, enabling mass production through a technique ...