Janet Prip, Head Vase with Large Lips, 1988, cast bronze with relieved and burnished edges, 13 5⁄8 x 6 5⁄8 x 2 in. (34.6 x 16.8 x 5.1 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the James Renwick Alliance, 1995.42.1, © 1988, Janet Prip
Copied
Artwork Details
- Title
- Head Vase with Large Lips
- Artist
- Date
- 1988
- Location
- Dimensions
- 13 5⁄8 x 6 5⁄8 x 2 in. (34.6 x 16.8 x 5.1 cm)
- Copyright
- © 1988, Janet Prip
- Credit Line
- Gift of the James Renwick Alliance
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- cast bronze with relieved and burnished edges
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Abstract
- Figure — head
- Object Number
- 1995.42.1
Artwork Description
Janet Prip has created many "head" vases that show stylized faces. She uses the seams in the metal to form the profile of each face, emphasizing an element of the process that many craftsmen try to conceal. The differences between her head vases are very subtle, but the soft curves of Head Vase with Large Lips suggest a female face, while the severe lines of Head Vase with Jagged Hair (see 1995.42.2) indicate a male profile. Prip plays with different features, such as the arch of a nose or the shape of an eye, to endow each of her pieces with a unique personality.