Figured flask
Medium
Blown-molded glass
Dimensions
H. 7 1/8 in. (18.1 cm)
Classification
Flask
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Constance R. Brown, 1939
Accession Number
40.150.41
Tags
Art Historical Context
This charming figured flask, crafted around 1824 by Knox and McKee the Virginia Green Glass Works captures a pivotal moment in early American history. Made of blown-molded glass, it just 7⅛ inches tall and likely features a portrait of the Marquis de Lafayette, the revered French hero of the American Revolution. in vibrant green glass—a hue typical of the era due to iron impurities the silica—the flask served as both a practical container for liquids and a patriotic souvenir. Lafayette's triumphant return tour of the United States in 1824–25 sparked widespread fervor, inspiring manufacturers ...