Pair of Vases

1861

Dorflinger Glass Works American, 1852 - 1921

On View

American, Level 2, West Wing

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Provenance

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About the Artwork

The proud eagle, enclosed in an escutcheon, links these cut crystal vases to the extensive glass service commissioned for the Lincoln White House shortly after the president’s inaugural on 4 March 1861. Along with the crisp, copper-wheel engraving of the Great Seal of the United States, the design features a fine, diamond cut pattern on the lower half and a star cutting on the foot. With its balance of elegance and elaborate ornamentation, the design exemplifies the aesthetic of French-born and trained Christian Dorflinger, whose company, Greenpoint Flint Glass Works of Brooklyn, New York, produced deluxe, cut lead crystal table wares. Michigan timber baron Russell Alexander Alger purchased this pair shortly after the time of the White House commission, and the additional monogram—a large letter “A” with the smaller letters “R” and “A” twined around its lower legs—may commemorate his marriage to Annette H. Henry on 2 April. From Bulletin of the Detroit Institute of Arts 89 (2015)

Title Pair of Vases

Artwork Date 1861

Artist Dorflinger Glass Works

Life Dates 1852 - 1921

Nationality Please note: Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events. Some definitions include: Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation. American

Culture Please note: Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group. Unknown

Medium Cut lead crystal glass

Dimensions Overall (each): 8 3/4 × 3 1/2 inches (22.2 × 8.9 cm)

Classification Glass

Department American Art before 1950

Credit Museum Purchase, Gibbs-Williams Fund

Accession Number This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection. Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings. For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups. 2010.20

Markings

Inscriptions Inscribed, on side: [eagle with olive branch and arrows in talon] e pluribus unum Inscribed: RAA

Provenance

Purchased by Russell Alexander Alger (1836-1907), probably shortly after his April 2, 1861 marriage to Annette H. Henry (Grand Rapids, Michigan) Their daughter, and eldest child, Fay Alger (d. 1927). Married W. E. Bailey (d. 1925) Their daughter, Annette Alger Bailey (d. 1951). Married Bayard Livingston Bell (March 1929, in Harrisburg, PA). [Note: Bayard Livingston Bell died of pneumonia in February 1933. Annette Alger Bailey Bell married John O. Lambrecht in 1938.] Their daughter, Mignon Alger Bell (b. December 23, 1930. d. 2006). Married Brodnax Cameron Jr. (d. 2006) in October 1952. Their daughter, Annette Brodnax (b. 1953). Married a Mr. Blum. [Sold at Auction, O’Neill’s Auction Company, 19 Newport Drive, Forest Hill, MD, 21050. September 13, 2009. Lot 503.] [Unidentified picker]

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Exhibition History

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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.

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