Screw-top jar
Unknown Artist
probably 19th century
Medium
Salt-glazed stoneware
Dimensions
Height: 8 1/4 in. (21 cm)
Classification
Ceramics-Pottery
Culture
German, Saxony
Department
European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Robert W. de Forest, 1920
Accession Number
20.62.2a, b
Art Historical Context
This charming screw-top jar, hailing from Saxony, Germany, and likely dating to the 19th century, exemplifies the region's renowned tradition of utilitarian ceramics. Standing at 8¼ inches (21 cm) tall, this modest vessel was designed for practical storage—perhaps for preserves, spices, or dry goods—its innovative screw-top lid ensuring an airtight seal that was advanced for its time. Now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, it entered the collection as a gift from Mrs. Robert W. de Forest in 1920, highlighting early 20th-century enth...