In the Mountains

Kim Rawdin, In the Mountains, 2001, fabricated, hollow-formed, soldered, cut, and inlaid 18k and 22k gold, chrysoprase, lapis lazuli, red coral, blue chalcedony, black jade, and petrified palm, 2 ¹⁄₂ x 3 ¹⁄₄ x 1 ³⁄₄ in. (6.2 x 8.2 x 4.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Linda and Donald Schlenger and museum purchase through the Renwick Acquisitions Fund, 2002.27

Artwork Details

Title: In the Mountains
Artist: Kim Rawdin
Date: 2001
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 2 ¹⁄₂ x 3 ¹⁄₄ x 1 ³⁄₄ in. (6.2 x 8.2 x 4.6 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Linda and Donald Schlenger and museum purchase through the Renwick Acquisitions Fund
Mediums: jade
chalcedony
chrysoprase
lapis lazuli
gold
coral
Mediums Description: fabricated, hollow-formed, soldered, cut, and inlaid 18k and 22k gold, chrysoprase, lapis lazuli, red coral, blue chalcedony, black jade, and petrified palm
Classifications: Decorative Arts
Object Number: 2002.27
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2002.27

Artwork Description

Kim Rawdin’s design for In the Mountains came from the aerial perspective in mythological Dreamtime paintings by Australia’s Aborigines. The pure colors of the polished stones evoke the immensity of Ayer’s Rock, the Australian sky and sea, and the resilient grasses and trees of the inland plains. The poem stamped on the inside of the bracelet---as brief as a Japanese haiku---clarifies the artist’s emotional interpretation of the land:

I MOMENTARILY STOP

AND SEE MYSELF

UNKNOWN AND UNDEFINED

FREE FROM THE MOVIES . . .