Art Institute of Chicago

Pair of Compotes

Artist unknown (American, 19th century)

Date

1851–57

Medium

Cut glass

Culture

New York

Department

Arts of the Americas

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

From the 1820s to the 1850s, richly cut glass was extremely fashionable due to the glittering effects of the facets. These ornamental, diamond-cut glass compotes would have been used on a sideboard or dining table during the period. New York City was the production center for high-quality decorative glass in the United States, and these glass compotes are representative of New York firms like Brooklyn Flint Glass Works, a company whose work received a silver medal at the 1851 Crystal Palace Exhibition in London. The exceptional quality of these compotes comes from the clarity of glass and the bold yet restrained design.

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