Hobnail Finger Bowl 1887 - 1896

This is a Hobnail Finger Bowl, made by Hobbs, Brockunier and Company sometime between 1863 and 1891. Its tactile surface of raised glass beads immediately draws the eye. The structure is a play of contrasting forms: soft, rounded protrusions against the sharp, geometric rim. Consider how the formal qualities of this piece engage with broader ideas about functionality and aesthetics. Each hobnail, or raised knob, functions as a unit within a larger system, contributing to the bowl's overall texture and form. Semiotically, these repeated elements create a visual language of excess and ornamentation. The opalescent glass, shifting in color from a pale pink at the base to a vibrant magenta at the rim, challenges fixed meanings and engages with new ways of thinking about perception. The bowl invites us to reconsider the relationship between form and function, and how these elements are essential to interpreting its cultural significance.