Vase

Art Historical Context

This delicate vase, crafted by the New England Glass Company between 1886 and 1888, exemplifies the pinnacle of American art glass during the Gilded Age. Standing just 7¾ inches tall with a slender 3-inch diameter, was made using the blown Peach Blow technique—a luxurious shaded pink glass that mimics the soft blush of a ripe peach. Produced in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the New England Glass Company was a leader in innovative glassmaking, rivaling European artisans and captivating collectors with its Aesthetic Movement-inspired beauty. Peach Blow glass, patented by the company in the early 1880s, achieved its signature gradient effect through layering molten pink glass over a clear base, then carefully reheating and shaping it by mouth-blowing. Adorned with subtle leaf motifs, this vase reflects the era's fascination with nature and Japonisme, blending functionality with ornamental elegance. It highlights American industry's creative response to imported luxuries, making high art accessible in domestic settings. Acquired through the Rogers Fund in 1973 and housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing, this piece invites visitors to appreciate the tactile allure of 19th-century craftsmanship—a testament to how everyday objects became symbols of refined taste.

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...