Vase

Art Historical Context

This delicate vase, crafted by the New England Glass Company between 1884 and 1888, exemplifies the height of American glassmaking innovation in the late 19 century. Standing just 7 inches tall with a 3-inch diameter it was formed through the free-blown technique using Agata glass—a specialty medium that creates mesmerizing, swirling patterns reminiscent of polished agate stone. The company's skilled artisans layered vibrant colors during the blowing process, achieving a luminous, marbled effect that highlights both technical precision and aesthetic beauty. Founded in 1818 in East Cambridge, Massachusetts, the New England Glass Company was a leader in America's burgeoning glass industry, producing everything from tableware to artistic novelties. This vase hails from the firm's final years before its 1888 merger into the Libbey Glass Company, reflecting the Aesthetic Movement's influence, which prized decorative elegance and natural motifs. Displayed in The American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it was generously gifted in 1992 by Mr. and Mrs. John P. Hollihan III in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Vincent F. Apicella. As a cultural artifact, the vase underscores America's industrial artistry during the Gilded Age, when factories rivaled European workshops in creativity. Its compact form and iridescent glow invite visitors to appreciate the fusion of utility and ornament in everyday luxury.

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...