Purple marble glass covered bowl 1870 - 1890

Curator: Before us is a striking photograph of a covered glass bowl, crafted by Challinor, Taylor and Company sometime between 1870 and 1890. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is fortunate to hold it within its decorative arts collection. Editor: It exudes a strangely ethereal, almost ghostly, presence. The marbleized glass, presented in black and white here, gives it this swirling, almost dreamlike, quality. I find the fluted pattern very mesmerizing. Curator: Absolutely, the formal elements command attention. Notice the symmetry and balance achieved in the bowl’s overall structure, complemented by the geometry of its faceted knob. The alternating planes and precise linear divisions across the bowl itself lend dynamism to an otherwise static object. Editor: It's amazing how something so meticulously crafted by human hands mimics the chaotic patterns of nature. Think of the glass-blowing process itself – the molten material, manipulated and shaped under intense heat, capturing a moment of flux. And what kind of labor practices were employed? How were these intricate designs rendered at scale? I am sure that such precision didn't just happen, there must have been someone with years and years of expertise behind it. Curator: An excellent point regarding materiality and craftsmanship! These pieces reflected industrial advancements while still echoing historical forms, blending mass production with decorative flair, and one can easily appreciate that within its refined silhouette, the purple marble glass evokes notions of luxury and sophisticated taste of late 19th century America. Editor: Seeing how industrialization played out in glassmaking, it's difficult not to think about waste— both material and human— that came with processes intended for an exclusive elite. This bowl might symbolize not just progress, but its hidden costs. Curator: Indeed. Appreciating the formal complexity, and examining what lies beneath the object, unveils those broader stories woven into its creation. Editor: So a look, and then a thought to what really enabled the art. Makes you consider value very differently, doesn't it?