Frederick S. Shirley
American, active 1873–1894
Made by Mount Washington Glass Company
American, 1837–1900
New Bedford, MA
Sicilian Glass Lamp
INV-1500
Frederick S. Shirley
American, active 1873–1894
Made by Mount Washington Glass Company
American, 1837–1900
New Bedford, MAc. 1878
Sicilian Glass Lamp
Frederick S. Shirley American, active 1873–1894 Made by Mount Washington Glass Company American, 1837–1900 New Bedford, MA →lamp (lighting device)furniture accessory
Date
c. 1878
Medium
Glass
Dimensions
61 × 15.2 cm (24 × 6 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Steven G. Gittens and James E. Disrud
This lamp exemplifies the first group of artistic glassware patented by the Mount Washington Glass Company. Frederick S. Shirley, an English-born and trained glassmaker, introduced the Sicilian line, which was inspired by excavations of the ancient city of Pompeii in the 1860s and included the chemical elements of volcanic lava in its ingredients. Shirley also developed the process of fusing separate shards of glass in the body of his Sicilian wares, resulting in the unusual appearance of these vibrantly colored vessels.