Creamer 1885 - 1888

This glass creamer was crafted by Richards and Hartley Flint Glass Co. in the late 19th century. Its surface, adorned with a pattern of raised spheres, immediately evokes associations with fecundity, abundance, and nourishment. Consider how this motif echoes the grape clusters found in ancient Roman bacchanals, symbols of wine and revelry, or even the pearl, a symbol of purity and transformation, worn by the women in Renaissance portraits. But here, these glass spheres, while retaining a sense of plenty, take on a different character. They are uniform, ordered, almost sterile. The emotional undercurrent shifts from joyous abundance to a more restrained, controlled opulence, reflecting the Victorian era's complex relationship with both indulgence and propriety. Like a recurring dream, these symbols resurface, each time tinted by the anxieties and aspirations of the age.