Art Institute of Chicago

Sicilian Vase

Frederick S. Shirley (American, active 1873–1894)

Date

c. 1878

Medium

Glass

Culture

New Bedford

Department

Arts of the Americas

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

This vase exemplifies the first group of artistic glassware patented by the Mount Washington Glass Company. Frederick S. Shirley, an English-born and trained glassmaker, introduced the Sicilian line, which was inspired by excavations of the ancient city of Pompeii in the 1860s and included the chemical elements of volcanic lava in its ingredients. Shirley also developed the process of fusing separate shards of glass in the body of his Sicilian wares, resulting in the unusual appearance of these vibrantly colored vessels.

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