Max Krimmel, Vessel #453, 1997, lathe-turned Colorado alabaster with satine (bloodwood), 8 1⁄2 x 16 in. (21.6 x 40.6 cm) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Krimmel Family, 1998.131
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Vessel #453
- Artist
- Date
- 1997
- Location
- Dimensions
- 8 1⁄2 x 16 in. (21.6 x 40.6 cm) diam.
- Credit Line
- Gift of the Krimmel Family
- Mediums Description
- lathe-turned Colorado alabaster with satine (bloodwood)
- Classifications
- Object Number
- 1998.131
Artwork Description
Max Krimmel’s process involves roughing out the rock with an air chisel, then using carbide-tipped scrapers and finer tools for the actual turning. The thin rim of bloodwood, added to the piece before the final polishing, accents the soft colors of the stone and the thinness of the alabaster, which is often less than 3/16 of an inch thick. Krimmel’s alabaster is so fragile that it often shatters on the lathe, and the artist is resigned to losing as many as twenty percent of his pieces this way.