Drinking Beaker

Media - 1994.19.1 - SAAM-1994.19.1-4_1 - 53381
Copied Pat Flynn, Drinking Beaker, 1992, gold, 24k gold plate, pewter, and sterling silver, 3 582 34 in. (9.27.0 cm) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Renwick Alliance, 1994.19.2, © 1992, Pat Flynn

Artwork Details

Title
Drinking Beaker
Artist
Date
1992
Dimensions
3 582 34 in. (9.27.0 cm) diam.
Copyright
© 1992, Pat Flynn
Credit Line
Gift of the James Renwick Alliance
Mediums Description
gold, 24k gold plate, pewter, and sterling silver
Classifications
Object Number
1994.19.2

Artwork Description

Neither strictly useful nor untouchably precious, these four beakers show Pat Flynn's fondness for playing with different materials and expectations. The dark coloring and "worked" surfaces emphasize the strength and durability of the pewter, which forms a kind of protective embrace for the luminous gold that lines the inside of the beakers. The sterling silver loops tied like wire or string around the rims evoke the workaday world in which Flynn was raised.