Flask with Masonic Symbols

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Flask with Masonic Symbols

Manufacturer Keene (Marlboro Street) Glass Works (American, 1814-1841)

Place of OriginKeene, New Hampshire, United States

Date1817-1820

Dimensions7 9/16 in. (19.2 cm)

Mediumlead glass

ClassificationGlass

Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1917.373

On View

Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion (2444 Monroe Street), Glass Pavilion Gallery, 3

DescriptionGreen. Blown in a full-size two-part mold (McKearin and Wilson G.IV-1a) that formed body and base. On the obverse: a Masonic arch and other Masonic symbols. On the reverse: an American eagle with banner above and oval cartouche below. The base is plain except for a moldmark and a large, open pontil mark. Capacity: one pint.

Label TextThe production of mold-blown pocket flasks with figural decoration coincided with a shift in American drinking habits. In colonial times small amounts of alcoholic beverages were typically consumed upon rising, at mealtimes, and at bedtime. By the early 19th century, however, what could be called communal binge-drinking increased dramatically, expanding the demand for portable flasks.Published ReferencesMcKearin, George S., and Helen McKearin, drawings by James L. McCreery, American Glass, New York, Crown, 1941; rev. ed., 1948.

McKearin, Helen and Kenneth M. Wilson, American Bottles and Flasks and Their Ancestry, New York, Crown, 1978; etc., G.IV-1, pp. 552-553, no. 218.

McKearin, Helen A., and Kenneth M. Wilson, American Bottles and Flasks and Their Ancestry, New York, Crown, 1978, G.IV-1a, pp. 591, 99-104, 436-440.

Wilson, Kenneth M., American Glass, 1760-1930: The Toledo Museum of Art, New York: Hudson Hills Press in association with the Toledo Museum of Art, [Lanham, Md.]: National Book Network [distributor], c1994; 2 v. (879 p.): ill. (some col.); 32 cm., 1994, p. 111, no. 39, colorpl. 39, p. 78.