Situla
Unknown Artist
1550–1600
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 ...