Sicilian Vase

c. 1878

Frederick S. Shirley
American, active 1873–1894
Made by Mount Washington Glass Company
American, 1837–1900
New Bedford, MA

This vase exemplifies the first group of artistic glassware patented by the Mount Washington Glass Company. Frederick S. Shirley, an English-born and trained glassmaker, introduced the Sicilian line, which was inspired by excavations of the ancient city of Pompeii in the 1860s and included the chemical elements of volcanic lava in its ingredients. Shirley also developed the process of fusing separate shards of glass in the body of his Sicilian wares, resulting in the unusual appearance of these vibrantly colored vessels.

Status: On View, Gallery 175
Department: Arts of the Americas

Artist: Frederick S. Shirley
Title: Sicilian Vase
Place: New Bedford (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: c. 1878
Medium: Glass
Dimensions: 20.3 × 15.2 cm (8 × 6 in.)
Credit Line: Through prior acquisitions of Mrs. Sydney Haskins, Mrs. Justus L. Johnson, Mary Louise Stevenson, Mrs. Theodore D. Tieken and Russell Tyson
Reference Number: 1998.316
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