The Surprising History of the Ariadne and Bacchus Vase in The Corning Museum of Glass

Alexandra Ruggiero, Journal of Glass Studies, v. 61, The Corning Museum of Glass

On May 2, 1972, The Corning Museum of Glass purchased six objects at auction from Sotheby’s Parke-Bernet Galleries in New York City. In June, one month after the objects arrived at the museum, the city of Corning suffered a devastating flood. The correspondence and other paperwork regarding the purchase, along with other museum documentation, were destroyed or lost. Preparations for the museum’s 2018 special exhibition, “Glass of the Architects: Vienna, 1900–1937,” and a publication on modern Austrian glass presented the opportunity to explore one of the purchased objects in great detail. As was to be expected, research brought to light new details regarding the object’s title and its design and manufacture dates, as well as clarifying information pertaining to the companies and individuals involved in the vessel’s production.

What was unexpected, and is the subject of this Journal of Glass Studies note, is the vase’s surprising history.