Light Bulb Teapot (Variation #6) Yixing Series

Richard T. Notkin, Light Bulb Teapot (Variation #6) Yixing Series, 1984, stoneware, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Margot R. Heckman in memory of Mary Sherman Resh, 2000.89A-B
Copied Richard T. Notkin, Light Bulb Teapot (Variation #6) Yixing Series, 1984, stoneware, overall: 4 7⁄8 x 6 3⁄8 x 3 5⁄8 in. (12.3 x 16.1 x 9.2 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Margot R. Heckman in memory of Mary Sherman Resh, 2000.89A-B

Artwork Details

Title
Light Bulb Teapot (Variation #6) Yixing Series
Artist
Date
1984
Location
Dimensions
overall: 4 7⁄8 x 6 3⁄8 x 3 5⁄8 in. (12.3 x 16.1 x 9.2 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Margot R. Heckman in memory of Mary Sherman Resh
Mediums
Mediums Description
stoneware
Classifications
Keywords
  • Allegory — arts and sciences — science
  • Recreation — sport and play — dice
  • Object — other — light bulb
Object Number
2000.89A-B
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2000.89A-B

Artwork Description

Richard Notkin made twelve unique teapots in the Light Bulb Teapot series between 1983 and 1992. Each of the elements on the teapot has a specific meaning that contributes to a story. Here, the dice on the handle symbolize risk, while the lightning-rod spout and inverted bulb shape of the pot refer to captured energy. These ideas, together with the overall skull-like image, express Notkin's anxieties about the danger that nuclear energy poses to the environment.