Brooch

Ronald Hayes Pearson, Brooch, ca. 1948, silver, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Joan Watkins, 1993.78.3
Copied Ronald Hayes Pearson, Brooch, ca. 1948, silver, 1⁄4 x 3 1⁄2 x 3⁄8 in. (.7 x 9.0 x 1.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Joan Watkins, 1993.78.3

Artwork Details

Title
Brooch
Artist
Date
ca. 1948
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
1⁄4 x 3 1⁄2 x 3⁄8 in. (.7 x 9.0 x 1.0 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Joan Watkins
Mediums
Mediums Description
silver
Classifications
Object Number
1993.78.3
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1993.78.3

Artwork Description

Brooch was fabricated at the beginning of Ronald Pearson’s career and reflects the strong influence of Philip Morton, a professor at the School of American Crafts who challenged his students to think about materials and processes. Because the school offered no courses in jewelry making, Morton offered Pearson studio space for one month and taught him the basics. The piece reflects Morton’s belief that jewelry could function as another kind of sculpture, and belongs to that period after the Second World War when abstract expressionism dominated American art.