Flower of Death – The Bursting of a Heavy Shell – Not as It Looks, but as It Feels and Sounds and Smells

Claggett Wilson, Flower of Death--The Bursting of a Heavy Shell--Not as It Looks, but as It Feels and Sounds and Smells, ca. 1919, watercolor and pencil on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Alice H. Rossin, 1981.163.18
Claggett Wilson, Flower of Death--The Bursting of a Heavy Shell--Not as It Looks, but as It Feels and Sounds and Smells, ca. 1919, watercolor and pencil on paperboard, image: 16 1⁄2 x 22 in. (41.9 x 55.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Alice H. Rossin, 1981.163.18

Artwork Details

Title
Flower of Death – The Bursting of a Heavy Shell – Not as It Looks, but as It Feels and Sounds and Smells
Artist
Date
ca. 1919
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
image: 16 1⁄2 x 22 in. (41.9 x 55.9 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Alice H. Rossin
Mediums
Mediums Description
watercolor and pencil on paperboard
Classifications
Subjects
  • Architecture Exterior — military — battlefield
  • Disaster — accident — explosion
  • History — United States — World War I
  • Allegory — death
  • Figure group — male
  • Occupation — military — soldier
Object Number
1981.163.18
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1981.163.18

Works by this artist (1 item)

Richard Ford, Uncle Rick's Wonderland, 1997, carved and painted poplar with mirror, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Leo Kaplan Modern, 2000.103
Uncle Rick’s Wonderland
Artist
Date1997
carved and painted poplar with mirror
Not on view

Videos

Current Time 0:00
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected

      On Wednesday, November 9, 2022, the Smithsonian American Art Museum presented a virtual edition of “Double Take,” exploring art, service, and sacrifice in honor of Veterans Day. Join Smithsonian experts as they examine artist Claggett Wilson’s watercolor paintings depicting his experiences as a combat Marine in World War I. Learn how American art has been an integral component of commemorating military service with Catherine Maynor, paper conservator at Smithsonian American Art Museum, and Ben Brands, historian at American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). SAAM’s “Double Take” series brings Smithsonian specialists—from anthropologists and geologists to aeronautical engineers and historians—together to discuss artworks from SAAM’s collection. This special edition of “Double Take” highlights SAAM’s partnership with the American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).

      More Artworks from the Collection

      Browse All Artworks
      Sam Maloof, Pedestal Table, 1992, fiddleback maple, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Sam and Alfreda Maloof, 1992.105
      Pedestal Table
      Artist
      Date1992
      fiddleback maple
      Not on view
      Garry Knox Bennett, Boston Kneehole, 1989, Honduras rosewood, maple, aluminum, brick, Fountainhead, Colorcore, antiqued bronze, and watercolor, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Anne and Ronald Abramson, the James Renwick Alliance and museum purchase through the Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, 1990.104, © 1989, Gary Knox Bennett
      Boston Kneehole
      Artist
      Date1989
      Honduras rosewood, maple, aluminum, brick, Fountainhead, Colorcore, antiqued bronze, and watercolor
      Not on view
      Stephen Courtney, Secretarial Desk, 1998, lathe-turned and hand-fabricated maple, copper leaf, copper-plated cast bronze, glass, leather and golf tees, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Mortenson Family Foundation, LLC, Madison, Wisconsin, 2003.54, © 1998, Stephen Courtney
      Secretarial Desk
      Artist
      Date1998
      lathe-turned and hand-fabricated maple, copper leaf, copper-plated cast bronze, glass, leather and golf tees
      Not on view
      Jane Byrd McCall Whitehead, Unidentified (American), Byrdcliffe Oak Chiffonier, 1904, oak, stain and oil paint, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Jill and Mark Willcox, Jr., 2005.33
      Byrdcliffe Oak Chiffonier
      Artist
      Unidentified (American)
      Attributed to Jane Byrd McCall Whitehead
      Date1904
      oak, stain and oil paint
      Not on view