Claret Jug

The second half of the nineteenth century witnessed a proliferation of highly ornamental decorative arts in nearly every medium as artisans embraced bold color effects and global influences. Many new lines of art glass imitated other materials, including Peach Blow, a color scheme made in imitation of an eighteenth-century Chinese porcelain vase which caused a sensation when it sold at auction in 1886 for the astonishing price of $18,000. Hobbs, Brockunier & Company in Wheeling, West Virginia, was one of several glass firms to capitalize on this event, creating replicas of the vase, including an example in The Met’s collection (2015.34a, b), along with tableware in the same color scheme. This claret jug speaks to the elaborate dining rituals of middle- and upper middle-class Americans in the nineteenth century and the technical innovations of the domestic industry as it responded to the demand for increasingly specialized and artistic glassware.