Sophia

Toshiko Takaezu, Sophia, 2002, stoneware, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2006.26.1
Copied Toshiko Takaezu, Sophia, 2002, stoneware, 59 58 in. × 21 in. (151.4 × 53.3 cm) diameter irregular, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 2006.26.1

Artwork Details

Title
Sophia
Date
2002
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
59 58 in. × 21 in. (151.4 × 53.3 cm) diameter irregular
Credit Line
Gift of the artist
Mediums
Mediums Description
stoneware
Classifications
Object Number
2006.26.1

Artwork Description

One of Toshiko Takaezu's “closed forms,” the unseen interior cavity of this ceramic sculpture suggests the protected space of an egg. To create these forms, Takaezu threw a pot at her wheel, then coiled and hand built the clay into a nearly closed spheroid. She often placed pieces of paper and clay inside before firing that became rattling ceramic beads in the kiln.


Many species of birds, like ducks, communicate with each other before they hatch. They peep and click from inside their eggs to synchronize their emergence, preparing the family to leave the nest together. Like chattering eggs in a nest, Takaezu’s closed forms conjure new imaginings about the tenderness of home.


This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World, 2022