Figured Flask

Expand

IIIFView PDF

Figured Flask

Manufacturer Union Flint Glass Works (American, 1826-1844)

Place of OriginKensington, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Date1826-1835

Dimensions7 5/16 in. (18.5 cm)

Mediumlead glass

ClassificationGlass

Credit LineGift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1917.385

On View

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

DescriptionMedium blue. Blown in a full-size two-part mold (McKearin G.I-117) that formed body and base. On the obverse: a profile bust generally called Columbia, surrounded by 13 stars in an arc. On the reverse: an American eagle grasping an olive branch and arrows in its talons. The lip was formed by reheating the neck and folding it in, then tooling it into a ring. The base is plain except for a moldmark. No pontil mark. Capacity: three-fourths 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. The head of Columbia, a female figure personifying America and derived from the American half-dollar coin introduced in 1809, is one of the most artistically successful flask designs. Columbia adorns the front side and an eagle embellishes the reverse. The notion that “imbibing lustily was a fitting way for independent men to celebrate the country’s independence” contributed to the popularity of flasks with political or patriotic images.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.I-117, pp. 536-537, no. 117; pl. 247, nos. 10, 11 (variant).

The Toledo Museum of Art, Art in Glass: A Guide to the Glass Collections, Toledo, Ohio, 1969, repr. p. 90.

McKearin, Helen A., and Kenneth M. Wilson, American Bottles and Flasks and Their Ancestry, New York, Crown, 1978, G.I-117a, pp. 552-553, 88-90, 447-450; replica: pp. 688-690, pl. 158 A, B.

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.); p. 117, no. 54, colorpl. 54, p. 79.

Page, Jutta-Annette, The Art of Glass: Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio, Toledo Museum of Art, 2006, p. 131-132, repr. (col.) fig. 53C, p. 130.