Epergne
Maker
Maker unknown
Date1860-1880
MediumGlass
DimensionsOverall: 22 1/2 × 11 5/8in. (57.2 × 29.5cm)
ClassificationsCULINARY ARTIFACTS
Credit LineMuseum Purchase with the Mr. and Mrs. Erving Pruyn Fund
Object number94.17
DescriptionGlass lead crystal, two-tiered epergne. Top section consists of vase form with flared top and bulb-shaped bottom. This is attached to a central shallow bowl. The bowl rests on a footed base. Top section of base is a bust of a woman with an acid-etched finish. It rests on a mold-blown base with scalloped edge. The vase-shaped top and bowl are acid-etched in a berry and vine pattern.On View
Not on viewCollections
Copyright<a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/"><img alt="Creative Commons License" style="border-width:0" src="https://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc/4.0/80x15.png" /></a><br />This work is licensed under a <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License</a>.
Label TextBy the mid-nineteenth century, wealthy Americans had adopted the fashionable dining practice of serving à la russe (in the Russian style). In this mode, food is placed on the sideboard instead of on the table, and the servants attend, carve, and serve. Elaborate centerpieces could then take the stage where, previously, food had been the primary display. This change in convention spurred an increase in the number of centerpieces produced in and imported to America. Epergnes, vases, and decorative figures were luxuriously filled with flowers and fruits.
ATD
