Perfume decanter 1866 - 1870

Editor: Here we have a "Perfume Decanter" created between 1866 and 1870 by the New England Glass Company. It's currently housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The green and gold design is incredibly striking and luxurious. How do you interpret the formal elements of this piece? Curator: The decanter presents a fascinating study in contrasting forms and balanced asymmetry. Notice the clear delineation between the vertical thrust of the neck and stopper, and the bulbous, almost floral-like base. The gold filigree, precisely applied, creates a network of visual pathways that both complements and constrains the emerald ground. Do you perceive how the colour affects the dimensionality? Editor: Yes, the gold seems to both highlight the contours and flatten certain areas. It’s like a dance between depth and surface. Curator: Precisely. Observe also the interplay between positive and negative space. The clear glass sections interspersed within the green fields function almost as voids, altering our perception of volume and mass. Are we meant to focus on the glass itself, or the ornamentation? Editor: That’s a great question! It seems like both elements are equally important, contributing to a unified aesthetic. I also appreciate the clean lines of the design against the rich colour choice, giving the design both modernity and historical flair. Curator: A perceptive observation. It invites further consideration of how materials, in their inherent qualities and manipulated forms, articulate meaning and purpose. It is quite something, and our study has greatly expanded my own understanding of this glass piece. Editor: Agreed! Thinking about its shapes, colours, and the patterns really has offered a fresh way to look at this piece.