Chestnut Flask c. 19th century

Editor: Here we have an interesting piece – an anonymous "Chestnut Flask" from the 19th century, made of glass and currently housed at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. It looks so fragile and tactile at the same time! What do you make of this humble glass object? Curator: Well, what strikes me immediately is the labor embedded in this piece. Nineteenth-century glassmaking was arduous, skilled work. Think about the factories, the divisions of labor. Do you consider this 'art', or just functional production? Editor: That's a great point. I suppose I hadn't really thought of it in those terms. So, if we are thinking of function versus 'art', would the purpose of the glass influence how we think of it? Curator: Exactly. Think about how industrial processes affected material availability, and, by extension, aesthetics. This "Chestnut Flask" likely served everyday functions – containing wine, oil, etcetera. Consider the social status encoded in these everyday things. Was it affordable only by the elite? Editor: It’s interesting to think about how an object like this could be a window into 19th-century consumerism. Did the mechanisation in its production impact its value? Curator: It would have, making the object available to a wider spectrum of people. The design has to change with different manufacturing capabilities and also expectations of value, right? Were cheaper versions being produced alongside the originals? How did these mass production methods then inform craft processes, and notions of taste and class? Editor: Right, so many new levels of investigation. Thank you, thinking of these practical production aspects makes me appreciate this humble flask so much more! Curator: Agreed! The intersection of materiality, function, and labor is endlessly fascinating.