Celery Vase 1883 - 1888

Curator: Ah, this "Celery Vase," crafted between 1883 and 1888 by the New England Glass Company. It's currently held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Editor: You know, looking at it, it feels like a memory, a sepia-toned echo of Victorian-era elegance. Like a character piece from a period film. Does that golden hue always glow so intensely? Curator: It’s the color gradient, a careful balance that catches light in particular ways, making that golden amber feel substantial but also ethereal. Vases for celery became popular in the late 19th century as celery gained traction as a luxury vegetable. Their function, displaying celery, speaks to cultural values around domesticity and even social status during this period. Editor: Right, celery! Suddenly, it feels much less like a daydream and more like a purposeful artifact. I'm seeing that the rippled texture makes me think of flowing water, but then the jagged lip makes me reconsider that notion. Curator: The visual language of flowing water certainly chimes with Victorian artistic preoccupations, suggesting notions of change, flux, and the ephemeral. We see it represented in different ways through this period. Perhaps they liked that interplay between permanence, in a glass object, and change represented visually. Editor: It makes me think of capturing a sunset in glass. Melancholic but also beautiful and intentional, do you think there’s some tension between utility and symbolism? Curator: Yes, exactly. It bridges practicality and art, doesn’t it? The purpose informs the aesthetic, yet the execution transcends mere function, pointing to wider symbolic landscapes. These makers also wanted their household objects to convey complex aesthetic ideas. Editor: I am always charmed by how domestic objects communicate status. The color feels so rich. It’s quite captivating, isn't it? Like holding a piece of captured time. Curator: It's remarkable how much resonance a humble vase can hold when we start considering the broader strokes of its creation.