Punch Bowl

1850–70
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 774
The refinement of pressed-glass technology in the mid-nineteenth century made fancy decorated glass available to all levels of society. A new method of production, invented in Pittsburgh in 1825, involved mechanically pressing molten glass into a mold using a plunger. This example, which mimics luxurious hand-cut glass, is in the Argus pattern, named after the mythological giant who had one hundred eyes.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Punch Bowl
  • Maker: Bakewell, Pears and Company (1836–1882)
  • Date: 1850–70
  • Geography: Made in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Pressed glass
  • Dimensions: H. 8 7/8 in. (22.5 cm); Diam. 10 1/4 in. (26 cm)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Emily Winthrop Miles, 1946
  • Object Number: 46.140.88
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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