Century Vase, 1876. Designed by Karl L.H. Mueller. Manufactured by Union Porcelain Works. Greenpoint, now Brooklyn. Porcelain; height, 22 1/4 in. (56.5 cm); diameter of base, 10 in. (25.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum; Gift of Carll and Franklin Chace, in memory of their mother, Pastora Forest Smith Chace, daughter of Thomas Carll Smith, the founder of the Union Porcelain Works, 43.25
Created for the U.S. Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876, this impressive vase was designed by a German-born sculptor and made by a premier porcelain manufacturer. The symbolic images on this vase combine a sense of place with the sweep of history. Place is represented by depictions of native animals such as American bison, walrus, and rams. Scenes from the nation’s past and examples of American invention and progress, such as reapers, sewing machines, steamships, and telegraph poles, convey the sweep of history.
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