In 1962 Harvey Littleton held a series of informal workshops exploring the art of hot glassmaking in a studio. Until then, most glass objects had been blown or molded in an industrial setting-the only place artists could find the facilities to produce their work. With Littleton's determination and the involvement of other artists, the studio-glass movement was born. For Amber Crested Form, Littleton massed a dolphin-shaped appendage onto an assemblage that includes a hollow tube. He then allowed the weight and tension of the cooling glass to manipulate the outcome.
This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.
Artwork Details
Use your arrow keys to navigate the tabs below, and your tab key to choose an item
Title:Amber Crested Form
Designer:Harvey K. Littleton (American, Corning, New York 1922–2013 Spruce Pine, North Carolina)
Date:1976
Medium:Glass
Dimensions:16 1/2 × 8 × 4 1/4 in., 14.1 lb. (41.9 × 20.3 × 10.8 cm, 6.4 kg)
Classification:Glass
Credit Line:Gift of William D. and Rose D. Barker, 1978
Accession Number:1978.438
Inscription: Signed and dated (on base, incised): Harvey K. Littleton 1976
William D. and Rose D. Barker, New York (until 1978; their gift to MMA)
New York. Contemporary Art Glass Group. "Harvey K. Littleton: 39 Forms in Glass," January 21–February 6, 1977, no catalogue.
Washington, D. C. Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum. "Harvey K. Littleton: A Retrospective Exhibition," March 30–September 3, 1984.
New York. American Craft Museum. "Harvey K. Littleton: A Retrospective Exhibition," November 16, 1984–January 12, 1985.
Atlanta. High Museum of Art. "Harvey K. Littleton: A Retrospective Exhibition," April 28–June 16, 1985.
Portland, Me. Portland Museum of Art. "Harvey K. Littleton: A Retrospective Exhibition," November–December 1985.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Modern Design: 1890–1990," April 21–November 22, 1992, no catalogue.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Studio Glass in The Metropolitan Museum of Art," April 8–October 6, 1996, no. 20.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "One of a Kind: The Studio Craft Movement," December 22, 2006–December 2, 2007, no catalogue.
New York. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Masterpieces of Modern Design: Selections from the Collection," May 30–October 5, 2008, no catalogue.
Penelope Hunter-Stiebel. "The Decorative Arts of the Twentieth Century." Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin 37 (Winter 1979–1980), p. 49, ill. (color).
Jane Hayward. Glass in the Collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, 1982, p. 18, fig. 13.
R. Craig Miller. Modern Design in The Metropolitan Museum of Art 1890–1990. New York, 1990, p. 274, ill.
Grace Glueck. "Fun With Studio Crafts: When the Traditional Gets Quirky." New York Times (January 12, 2007), p. E45, ill.
Alexander Calder (American, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1898–1976 New York)
ca. 1928
Resources for Research
The Met's Libraries and Research Centers provide unparalleled resources for research and welcome an international community of students and scholars.
The Met Collection API is where all makers, creators, researchers, and dreamers can connect to the most up-to-date data and public domain images for The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.
The Met's engagement with art from 1890 to today includes the acquisition and exhibition of works in a range of media, spanning movements in modernism to contemporary practices from across the globe.