Dish (USA)

American glass is one of the earliest industries in which American originality appears in commercially-produced objects. Pressed glass was first developed in the United States; other techniques associated with mass production and the use and development of certain colors also flourished. This was in contrast to the porcelain industry, which was more heavily reliant upon imports from England and France.
This dish is a fine example of the explosion of interest in crackle glass in the 19th century. While the precise origins of this technique are unknown, Venetian glassmakers of the 16th century claim credit for similar work produced by plunging red-hot glass into cold water and then reheating and re-blowing it. Patents were issued in both the United States and England in the late 1870s and 80s. The process, known as “ice glass," or “overshot,” was incredibly popular. This dish also represents a cranberry color for which the Boston and Sandwich Glass Company, located in Sandwich, Massachusetts, was appropriately famous, with its proximity to the cranberry bogs of Cape Cod. The color was highly sought-after and imitated by other firms, but usually less skillfully with regard to color, hardness, and clarity
This dish, along with the pitcher proposed for acquisition, would be the first pieces of American ice glass in the museum’s collection.

Dish (USA); glass; H x diam.: 2.5 x 17.6 cm (1 x 6 15/16 in.); Gift of Paul F. Walter; 2010-6-2