Candlestick
Medium
Pressed amethyst glass
Dimensions
H. 6 15/16 in. (17.6 cm)
Classification
Candlestick
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Emily Winthrop Miles, 1946
Accession Number
46.140.296
Art Historical Context
This elegant candlestick, crafted by the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company between 1835 and 1840, exemplifies the golden age of American pressed glass. Standing at just under 7 inches tall, its pressed amethyst glass form shimmers with a rich purple hue, a color achieved through manganese impurities in the molten glass—a technique that added both beauty and durability to everyday luxury items. The Boston & Sandwich Glass Company based on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, was pioneer in the early 19th-century American glass industry, revolutionizing production with patented pressing molds. This method al...
About the Artist
Boston & Sandwich Glass Company · 1825–1888
The Boston & Sandwich Glass Company, a pioneering force in American glassmaking, was established in 1825 in Sandwich, Massachusetts, by visionary entrepreneur Deming Jarves, who had honed his expertise as an agent for the New England Glass Company in Cambridge. Jarves built the factory on the banks of the Cape Cod Canal, incorporating it formally the following year with Boston investors. Drawing o...