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, 4 x 16 x 15 in. (10.2 x 40.6 x 38.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Virginia McGehee Friend, 2001.14, © 1993, Tom Joyce

Artwork Details

Title
Folded Bowl
Artist
Date
1993
Location
Dimensions
4 x 16 x 15 in. (10.2 x 40.6 x 38.1 cm)
Copyright
© 1993, Tom Joyce
Credit Line
Gift of Virginia McGehee Friend
Mediums Description
forged iron
Classifications
Object Number
2001.14
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/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.