Vase with witch ball
1850–75
Medium
Free-blown colorless, red, white and blue glass
Dimensions
H. 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm); Diam. 6 1/2 in. (16.5 cm)
Classification
Vase
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, The Edgar J. Kaufmann Foundation Gift, 1969
Accession Number
69.84.2a, b
Art Historical Context
This elegant vase with witch ball, crafted by the New England Glass Company between 1850 and 1875, exemplifies mid-19th-century Americanmaking prowess. Standing 13½ inches tall with a 6½-inch diameter, it features-blown glass in striking colorless, red, white and blue tones—patriotic hues that evoke national pride during the post-C War era. The New England Glass Company, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was a leading innovator, producing both utilitarian and decorative wares that rivaled European imports. At its core is a shimmering witch ball, a hollow glass sphere traditionally hung in ho...
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...