Sugar bowl
ca. 1827–35
Medium
Pressed glass
Dimensions
H. 5 in. (12.7 cm)
Classification
Sugar bowl
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Friends of the American Wing Fund, 1983
Accession Number
1983.63.1a, b
Art Historical Context
This elegant sugar bowl, crafted by the New England Glass Company around 1827–35, exemplifies the dawn of America's industrial glassmaking era. Standing at 5 inches tall, it's a fine example of pressed glass—a revolutionary technique introduced in the 1820s that used metal molds and hydraulic presses to create intricate patterns quickly and affordably. Previously, such decorative tableware was hand-blown and expensive; pressed glass democratized luxury for middle-class households, reflecting the young nation's growing manufacturing prowess during the early republic. The New England Glass Comp...
About the Artist
New England Glass Company · 1818–1888
**The New England Glass Company: Pioneers of American Flint Glass** The New England Glass Company was established on February 16, 1818, in East Cambridge, Massachusetts, by a quartet of prominent local businessmen: Amos Binney, Edmund Munroe, Daniel Hastings, and Deming Jarves. Jarves, drawing on his dry goods background and talent for recruiting Europe's finest cutters, served as operational man...