New photography by Shannon Ruff captured with a digital camera-2006.

Celery Vase

Manufacturer Boston & Sandwich Glass Co. (American, 1826-1888)

CultureAmerican

Dateca. 1830

MediumPressed glass | Lead glass

DimensionsOverall: 7 1/8 in. (18.1 cm)
Overall, Rim: 4 5/8 in. (11.7 cm)
Base: 3 1/2 in. (8.9 cm)

Credit LineMuseum purchase

Object number91.47

On View

Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 116-3, Case 19

Description"Cape Cod Lily" vase of pressed colorless lead glass. Bowl is decorated with stylized tulip & leaf motifs, probably derived from cut and engraved models. Scalloped rim with a double leaf border, then a tulip band consisting of six tulips. Bottom third consists of overlapping leaves (bowl made in three-piece mold). Bowl is attached to stem with a wafer. Stem/foot pressed in a two-piece mold. Simple knop stem. Underside of foot stippled with a leaf motif repeated seven times. Bottom of foot heavily ground into stippling. Edges of scallops are also ground. All of this grinding seems to be original as it appears on the examples at Corning and Sandwich.

Label TextVase - Probably Intended For Celery Attributed to the Boston & Sandwich Glass Co., Sandwich, Massachusetts, ca. 1830 Pressed lead-formula glass made in two parts and hot-joined with a wafer Museum Purchase 91.47 With its bowl pressed in a gutsy tulip-like pattern suggesting fancy cut glass, this extremely rare vase seems to be the earliest surviving American pressed glass vase. Although it is slightly smaller in size than most blown celery glasses, we believe that it was probably intended for that purpose. For most of the 19th century celery was generally served upright in glasses resembling flower vases. In 1839, Mrs. Lettice Bryan in her book The Kentucky Housewife directed that: Celery should be kept in a cellar, and then covered with tan to keep them from wilting . . . the usual way of preparing them is to scrape and wash them clean, and let them lie in cold water till just before they are to be sent to the table; then wipe them dry, split the ends of the stalks, leaving on a few of the green leaves, and send them to table in celery glasses. Edited By: GLYExhibition History"Treasures for the Community: The Chrysler Collects, 1989-1996," October 25,1996 - March 2, 1997 Published ReferencesDorothy Daniel, _Cut and Engraved Glass_, pl. 47. R.W. Lee, _Sandwich Glass_, pl. 68. Jane Shadel Spillman, _American and European Pressed Glass_, pg. 67, fig. 156. _The Sandwich Glass Museum Collection_, pp. 14-15, 3rd row-4. James H. Rose, _The Story of American Pressed Glass of the Lacy Period 1825-1850_, pg. 68, fig. 57. Charles Green, _Little Known Sandwich Glass_, pl. 163, fig. 8. _Antiques_, Jan. 1940, pg. 54, ad for McKearins Antiques, Hoosick Falls, NY. _William J. Elsholz Collection_, VOL. 1, No. 534. "Recent Important Acquisitions", _The Journal of Glass Studies_ 35 (1993): No. 6, 121.