Situla

Unknown Artist

1550–1600

Situla by Unknown Artist

Medium

Glass

Dimensions

Overall: 6 1/2 × 6 3/4 in. (16.5 × 17.1 cm)

Classification

Glass

Culture

Italian, Venice (Murano) or Southern Netherlandish

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Museum

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY

Credit

Gift of James Jackson Jarves, 1881

Accession Number

81.8.127

Art Historical Context

This exquisite *Situla*, a bucket-shaped glass vessel dating from 1550–1600, exemplifies the pinnacle of Renaissance glassmaking. Measuring just 6½ × 6¾ inches, its delicate form likely served as a luxurious container for liquids or as a decorative item in elite households. Attributed to either Venetian artisans from Murano—Europe's premier glassmaking hub—or craftsmen from the Southern Netherlands, reflects the era's cross-cultural exchange of techniques amid thriving trade routes. Murano's glassblowers revolutionized the medium during the 16th century, mastering clear *cristallo* glass and ...

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