Sherbet Dish
Unknown Artist
ca. 1885
Medium
Blown satin white opaque glass
Dimensions
H. 2 1/4 in. (5.7 cm)
Classification
Sherbet dish
Culture
British
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Emily Winthrop Miles, 1946
Accession Number
46.140.223
Art Historical Context
This delicate Sherbet Dish, crafted around 1885 by an unknown British artist, exemplifies the refined glassware of the Victorian era. Standing just 2¼ inches (5.7 cm) tall, it was designed to serve sherbet—a popular frozen dessert or cooling beverage enjoyed in elegant households. Made of blown satin white opaque glass, its soft, velvety surface creates an ethereal glow, evoking the luxurious table settings of late 19th-century Britain. The blown glass technique involved shaping molten glass by blowing air through a tube, followed by specialized frosting to achieve the signature satin finish—...