Vase

Date 1885

Mediumglass

Dimensions7 3/8 × 4 in. (18.7 × 10.2 cm)

Donor credit lineGiven in memory of Barbara B. Miller

Object number2005.47

Institutional Credit LineCourtesy of the New Bedford Whaling Museum

DescriptionSatin glass with quilted diamond design, in a shape referencing Chinese ceramics. Heat-sensitive glass with coloring fading from ruby to translucent. Satin glass was first introduced in the U.S. in 1885 and was produced by virtually all major glass manufacturers. Some of the most recognizable wares are those featuring an Air Trap design, with diamond quilting among the most popular patterns. Air trap designs are created when a mold-blown patterned piece of glass is coated with a layer of clear glass, trapping air, and highlighting the pattern created by the mold.

Mt. Washington and its successor, the Pairpoint Corporation, were one of America’s longest-running luxury glass companies in operation from 1837 to 1957; for 87 of those 120 years they were located in New Bedford. Constantly reinventing and re-invigorating the business through creativity in texture, decoration, pattern, and color, the companies developed a variety of styles and decorating techniques which were so technically complex that few are practiced today. Mt. Washington and Pairpoint rivaled fine art glass manufacturers like Tiffany and Steuben in the late 1800s and early 1900s. ProvenanceLouis O. St. Aubin, Jr. (glass dealer/collector)

On View

On view