The production of American art glass – inventive, ornate pieces for the affluent home – peaked in the mid-1880s, enriched by the talents of English and Bohemian glassmakers who immigrated to the United States. Acting as agent for the Mount Washington Glass Company from 1874 to 1891, the British-born Frederick Shirley obtained nineteen patents for his American employer, including two for “Sicilian” or “Lava” glass, assigned in 1878 and 1879. Shirley’s formula, which included volcanic lava ash, was used to create the first important art glass in the United States. Bright colors embedded in the black matrix have been highlighted with gilding, making this a rare example. Such abstract patterning was a common feature in decorative arts long before it became acceptable to American painters such as Jackson Pollock, whose Water Birds hangs nearby.