Vase
Matthew Boulton’s documented design for a graceful vase, with pine cone, oak leaf, and satyrs’ masks detailing, is clearly recognizable in this piece, which combines matte, opaque, white glassware sourced from the Birmingham-based workshops of the chemist and inventor, James Keir, with the pre-fabricated ormolu mounts produced and applied in Boulton & Fothergill’s Soho manufactory. While Boulton’s characteristically elegant Classical style harkens back to an idealized vision of ancient Rome, Keir’s chemical innovations set this glass right at the cutting edge of Europe-wide experiments to manipulate and expand the medium’s colors and density. To Boulton’s affluent and fashionable clientele, this vase was stylish, tasteful, and modern.
Artwork Details
- Title: Vase
- Designer: Designed by Matthew Boulton (British, Birmingham 1728–1809 Birmingham)
- Maker: Glass by James Keir (British, born Scotland, 1735–1820)
- Manufactory: Assembled by Boulton & Fothergill (British, Soho, Birmingham)
- Date: ca. 1772
- Culture: British, Birmingham
- Medium: White opaque glass, gilt-bronze mounts
- Dimensions: confirmed: 11 3/16 × 7 × 5 1/2 in., 7.4 lb. (28.4 × 17.8 × 14 cm, 3.4 kg)
- Classifications: Glass, Metalwork-Gilt Bronze
- Credit Line: Purchase, From the Marion E. and Leonard A. Cohn Collection, Bequest of Marion E. Cohn, by exchange, 2017
- Object Number: 2017.4
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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