Artwork
Glass Blowers of Murano
Glass Blowers of Murano is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Charles Frederic Ulrich. It dates from 1886 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
- Accession no.
- 86.13
- Credit line
- Gift of Several Gentlemen, 1886
About this work
The oil-on-wood panel, 26 1/8 by 21 1/8 inches, entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art the year it was painted, a gift from several gentlemen.
In a Murano workshop glowing with furnace heat, Charles Frederick Ulrich caught Italian glassworkers mid-breath in 1886. The New York-born painter, who had studied in Munich and settled in Venice that year, rendered the revived craft of Venetian glassblowing with the careful realism of the international genre-painting circle. The oil-on-wood panel, 26 1/8 by 21 1/8 inches, entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art the year it was painted, a gift from several gentlemen. It is a later variant of a composition Ulrich had shown at the Chicago World's Fair.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a glassblowing foundry interior on the island of Murano, Italy, renowned for its glassmaking. The central subject is the collaborative labor of a man and a woman engaged in the craft, with the man actively shaping molten glass and the woman assisting or observing. As a genre scene, it represents the everyday work of artisans, emphasizing the manual skill and tradition behind Venetian glass.
The iconography of the glowing furnace, glassblowing tools, and the focused poses of the figures symbolizes the heritage and artistry of Murano’s glass industry, which had been celebrated for centuries. The work thus serves as a document of late 19th-century craftsmanship, honoring the human effort and cultural significance of this specialized trade.
Technique & Style
Charles Frederick Ulrich executed this genre scene in oil on a wood panel. The painting measures 66.4 by 53.7 centimeters and is classified as a genre work depicting the interior of a glassblowing foundry in Murano, Italy. The support is a panel, a common backing for portable easel paintings of the 19th century.
The medium is oil paint, applied in a representational manner to capture the figures and the craft of Venetian glassmaking. While the overall composition and attention to detail align with late-19th-century academic realism, specific handling, brushwork, and condition are not documented in the available sources.
History & Provenance
Created in 1886 by American artist Charles Frederic Ulrich (also recorded as Charles Frederick Ulrich), Glass Blowers of Murano depicts a glassblowing foundry in Murano, Italy. The painting is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where it is classified as part of the American Wing. No further details on commission or ownership chain are available from the sources.
The work’s inventory or accession number is not recorded, and no specific exhibition history is documented; the sources do not provide the date or method of acquisition.
Overview
Charles Frederic Ulrich's 1886 painting, Glass Blowers of Murano, captures the interior of a glassmaking workshop on the Venetian island renowned for its artisanal production. Executed in oil on wood, the artwork portrays Italian craftsmen engaged in their trade amidst the intense heat of the furnace. This late 19th-century American work is part of the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Context
Born in New York, Charles Frederic Ulrich pursued his artistic training in Munich before settling in Venice in 1886, the year he painted this work. His choice of subject reflects an interest in local industries and daily life, a common theme among artists traveling through Europe at the time. Murano, with its centuries-old tradition of glass production, provided a compelling setting for such an observation.
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles Frederic Ulrich (18 October 1858 – 15 May 1908) was an American Realist painter who spent most of his career in Germany. He is best known for his genre scenes of working-class people.
