Mantel Vase

By the mid-nineteenth century the upper Ohio River Valley region hosted a thriving glass trade, manned by both domestic glassworkers who had moved west and European immigrants who brought their skills to the area. This mantle vase displays a classical form and restrained elegance that proved very popular with settlers who were interested in acquiring finer goods to display in their homes. The use of white glass encased in a layer of clear glass draws upon styles and techniques that had been used for centuries by skilled glassmakers in Europe, particularly Venice. The smooth whiteness of the opalescent glass is accented by a band of blue color around the rolled-over rim, displaying a similarity to glass produced in the Bristol and Nailsea regions of England. Designed to hold cut flowers or other decorations, the mantle vase would have provided a welcome touch of beauty in houses that only decades before were standing on the edge of the American frontier.