Hobnail Celery vase
1886–1900
Medium
Pressed glass
Dimensions
H. 6 3/4 in. (17.1 cm); Diam. 4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm)
Classification
Celery vase
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Emily Winthrop Miles, 1946
Accession Number
46.140.446
Art Historical Context
This elegant Hobnail Celery vase, crafted by the renowned American firm Hobbs, Brockunier and Company between 1886 and 1900, exemplifies the innovative spirit of late nineteenth-century glassmaking. Produced in pressed glass, a technique that allowed intricate patterns to be mechanically molded rather than hand-blown, the vase made ornate tableware affordable for middle-class households. The distinctive hobnail texture—raised, rounded protrusions covering the surface—created both visual interest and a tactile grip, transforming a simple functional object into a decorative centerpiece. Celery ...
About the Artist
Hobbs, Brockunier and Company · 1863–1891
**J. H. Hobbs, Brockunier and Company**, a pioneering American glass manufacturer, traces its origins to 1845 when John L. Hobbs and James B. Barnes, both former supervisory employees at the prestigious New England Glass Company in Massachusetts, leased the idle South Wheeling Glass Works in what is now Wheeling, West Virginia. After several reorganizations amid partner changes—including the addit...