Glass Blowers of Murano

Charles Frederick Ulrich

1886 · Oil on wood · The American Wing

Ulrich studied in Munich and spent most of his career abroad, painting picturesque scenes of everyday life. Here, he showed workers blowing glass, a craft revived in Venice during the late nineteenth century. The setting is the city’s glassmaking center on the island of Murano. Ulrich’s fascination with artisan subjects paralleled the international Arts and Crafts movement, which valued old-fashioned handicraft over industrial production. The painting won a substantial cash award in 1886 at the National Academy of Design’s second Prize Fund Exhibition, reflecting the degree to which an international taste had emerged in American art.

Artist

Charles Frederick Ulrich

Date

1886

Medium

Oil on wood

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Several Gentlemen, 1886