Robert Ebendorf, Lost Soul, Found Spirit, 1996, found materials and metal, 13 x 12 x 1 1⁄4 in. (33.0 x 30.5 x 3.3 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist in memory of Mr. Ronald H. Pearson, 1996.61
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Lost Soul, Found Spirit
- Artist
- Date
- 1996
- Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 13 x 12 x 1 1⁄4 in. (33.0 x 30.5 x 3.3 cm.)
- Credit Line
- Gift of the artist in memory of Mr. Ronald H. Pearson
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- found materials and metal
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Animal — bird
- Religion — New Testament — Christ
- Dress — accessory — jewelry
- Animal — rabbit
- Religion — New Testament — Crucifixion
- Animal — fish — crab
- Figure — fragment — skeleton
- Emblem — cross
- Object Number
- 1996.61
Artwork Description
Robert Ebendorf created a series of disturbing pieces with this title following a painful divorce. The chicken's foot, squirrel's paw, and numerous claws represent the loss of hands, which are a jeweler's means of creating. With these symbols, Ebendorf expressed his own sense of loss in his personal life. The act of creating the pieces, however, was a kind of salvation for the artist. He acknowledged this by including in this piece a crucifix, an image of Jesus and rosary beads, to suggest suffering and redemption.