Artist Name:
Karl L. H. Müller
Nationality & Life Dates:
American, born Germany, 1820–1887
Title:
The Century Vase
Date:
1876
Medium:
Porcelain with paint and gilt decoration
Dimensions:
22 1/2 x 12 x 12 inches
Credit Line:
Virginia Carroll Crawford Collection
Accession Number:
1986.163
Currently Out on Loan
Designed and modeled by Karl L. H. Müller, the Century Vase is one of only two made for display at the Centennial Exhibition commemorating the nation’s 100th birthday. The vase’s eclectic decoration, which includes bison-head handles and a profile of George Washington—a powerful patriotic symbol for many Americans—this monumental piece evokes nostalgia for the past, pride in industrial progress, and optimism for the future.
Union Porcelain Works was the first American firm to successfully apply underglaze polychrome decoration on true, hard-paste porcelain.