Nine Tantric Amulets for Jasper Johns

William Harper, Nine Tantric Amulets for Jasper Johns, 1994, gold cloisonné enamel on fine silver with 24k, 22k, 18k, and 14k gold, pearls, garnet, tourmaline, and peridot, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Frances and Sydney Lewis, 2002.11, © 1994, William Harper
William Harper, Nine Tantric Amulets for Jasper Johns, 1994, gold cloisonné enamel on fine silver with 24k, 22k, 18k, and 14k gold, pearls, garnet, tourmaline, and peridot, length: 24 in. (61 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Frances and Sydney Lewis, 2002.11, © 1994, William Harper

Artwork Details

Title
Nine Tantric Amulets for Jasper Johns
Date
1994
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
length: 24 in. (61 cm)
Copyright
© 1994, William Harper
Credit Line
Gift of Frances and Sydney Lewis
Mediums Description
gold cloisonné enamel on fine silver with 24k, 22k, 18k, and 14k gold, pearls, garnet, tourmaline, and peridot
Classifications
Subjects
  • Homage — Johns, Jasper
  • Animal — insect — butterfly
  • Figure — fragment — skull
  • Figure — fragment — hand
Object Number
2002.11

Artwork Description

Artists often borrow from each other, and each time they do they contribute to the deep history of an idea or piece. This necklace is from a series called Jasper’s Variations---a tribute to contemporary painter Jasper Johns. William Harper borrows the crosshatched pattern in the center medallion from Johns’s Between the Clock and the Bed (1981), which itself was inspired by a 1940-42 self-portrait by Edvard Munch with the same title.

The various charms are based on Hindu or Buddhist tantric scriptures, which deal with meditation, sexual techniques, and other rituals. Harper emphasizes the creative bond he feels with Johns by incorporating their names, side by side, in the center of this piece.

Works by this artist (55 items)

Ellsworth Kelly, Yellow, 1964-1965, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Woodward Foundation, 1977.48.30
Yellow
Date1964-1965
lithograph
Not on view
Ellsworth Kelly, Red Blue, 1964, screenprint, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Woodward Foundation, 1977.48.28
Red Blue
Date1964
screenprint
Not on view
Ellsworth Kelly, Red over Yellow, 1964-1965, lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Woodward Foundation, 1977.48.29
Red over Yellow
Date1964-1965
lithograph
Not on view

Exhibitions

Media - 2016.11 - SAAM-2016.11_6 - 124929
Connections: Contemporary Craft at the Renwick Gallery
November 13, 2015March 6, 2022
Connections is the Renwick Gallery’s dynamic ongoing permanent collection presentation, featuring more than 80 objects celebrating craft as a discipline and an approach to living differently in the modern world.

More Artworks from the Collection

Bohyun Yoon, Glass Tube, 2012, glass, stainless steel, blowtorch, acrylic paint, and digital video, color, sound; 2:05 minutes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Giselle and Ben Huberman, 2012.57A-L, © 2012, Bohyun Yoon
Glass Tube
Date2012
glass, stainless steel, blowtorch, acrylic paint, and digital video, color, sound; 2:05 minutes
Not on view
Marvin Oliver, Salish Clam Basket, 2008, glass, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Sharon Karmazin, 2021.28
Salish Clam Basket
Date2008
glass
On view
Killer Whale Hat
Date2002
blown and sand carved glass
Not on view
Ché Rhodes, Untitled, 2007, glass, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Merrily Orsini and Frederick Heath, 2021.57A-D
Untitled
Date2007
glass
On view