Cup

Italian, possibly Venice (Murano)

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 199


The "chalcedony" glass of these delicate objects mimics the banded, multicolored agate stone of the same name. The technique involves the addition of several metallic oxides into a glass batch that is intentionally left poorly mixed, resulting in streaky veins of color. The perfume bottle has additional splashes of glittering aventurine glass, made from copper crystals that form as the glass cools. Since the crystals can diminish with reheating, aventurine was usually incorporated as small spots dotting the surface of a vessel.

Cup, Glass, Italian, possibly Venice (Murano)

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