Folded Bowl

Tom Joyce, Folded Bowl, 1993, forged iron, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Virginia McGehee Friend, 2001.14, © 1993, Tom Joyce
Copied Tom Joyce, Folded Bowl, 1993, forged iron, 41615 in. (10.240.638.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Virginia McGehee Friend, 2001.14, © 1993, Tom Joyce

Artwork Details

Title
Folded Bowl
Artist
Date
1993
Dimensions
41615 in. (10.240.638.1 cm)
Copyright
© 1993, Tom Joyce
Credit Line
Gift of Virginia McGehee Friend
Mediums Description
forged iron
Classifications
Object Number
2001.14

Artwork Description

Folded Bowl is one of many that Tom Joyce has created based on the Fibonacci numbers, a sequence discovered by the thirteenth-century Italian mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci. These refer to the proportions that seeds, leaves, or the segments of a nautilus shell take on as they grow. Joyce “folds” seven feet of metal into an angular composition, then hammers the iron to stretch and curve the sections into a bowl form that resembles an unfolding flower. The piece is then patinated with rainwater and burnished with hot wax.