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Is this a hand blown piece?

Yes, the products of Powell & Sons were hand blown! The firm was arranged according to medieval ideas of art education and they valued hand craftsmanship. This bulb pot was used to grow tulips or other flowering plants indoors during the off-season, a process known as "forcing bulbs".

What characterizes the "Art Nouveau" style?

In general, the major characteristics of Art Nouveau style are organic shapes and graceful, often swooping, lines. Artists working in Art Nouveau were interested in blending the fine and decorative arts.

The bulb pot was crafted by hand. At this time, both Art Nouveau and other movements, like Arts and Crafts, were interested in returning craftsmanship to the decorative arts. It was a reaction against the industrialization occurring in Europe and the US.

Bulb Pot

Decorative Arts and Design

The unique shape of this charming vessel was designed to hold and encourage the growth and blossoming of a single flower bulb. The undulating, organic silhouette of the exaggerated rim is characteristic of the Art Nouveau style.

MAKER James E. Powell & Sons, 1834–1980

MEDIUM Glass

DATES ca. 1910

DIMENSIONS height: 2 in. (5.1 cm) diameter: 7 in. (17.8 cm)

MARKINGS no marks

SIGNATURE no signature

INSCRIPTIONS no inscriptions

COLLECTIONS Decorative Arts and Design

ACCESSION NUMBER 1994.119.11

CREDIT LINE Gift of Paul F. Walter

EXHIBITIONS

Infinite Blue

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

RECORD COMPLETENESS

Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.

Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

Is this a hand blown piece?

What characterizes the "Art Nouveau" style?