Cordial Glass c. 1936

Here is a pencil on paper drawing of a cordial glass by Frank Fumagalli. Born in 1855, Fumagalli's life spanned a period of immense social and technological change. This simple sketch invites us to reflect on the cultural history embedded in everyday objects. Cordial glasses, often associated with hospitality and social rituals, evoke a sense of intimacy and shared experience. But, who is sharing this cordial, and in what context? The delicacy of the glass, rendered in soft pencil lines, contrasts with the often harsh realities of a rapidly industrializing world that Fumagalli witnessed. The decision to isolate this object, devoid of context, amplifies its symbolic potential. It becomes a vessel not just for liquid, but for memory, tradition, and perhaps even longing. Consider the lives that might have been touched by such a glass, the conversations it might have witnessed. It invites us to consider our own relationship with the objects that shape our lives.