October Necklace

Jennifer Trask, October Necklace, 2002, 18k royal gold, 18k green gold, 14k palladium, 22k gold with swallowtail, monarch, queen, and silvery checkerspot butterfly wings; yellow soil from Verona, Italy and Spain; red soil from Arizona; ring-necked pheasant feathers; guinea fowl feathers; iron , 20 7⁄8 x 1 1⁄4 x 3⁄8 in. (53.0 x 3.2 x 0.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Renwick Acquisitions Fund, 2003.19

Artwork Details

Title
October Necklace
Artist
Date
2002
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
20 7⁄8 x 1 1⁄4 x 3⁄8 in. (53.0 x 3.2 x 0.8 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Renwick Acquisitions Fund
Mediums
Mediums Description
18k royal gold, 18k green gold, 14k palladium, 22k gold with swallowtail, monarch, queen, and silvery checkerspot butterfly wings; yellow soil from Verona, Italy and Spain; red soil from Arizona; ring-necked pheasant feathers; guinea fowl feathers; iron
Classifications
Subjects
  • Dress — accessory — jewelry
Object Number
2003.19
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2003.19

Artwork Description

Jennifer Trask invites the viewer to discover unexpected beauty in October Necklace. She conjures the displays of a European Wunderkammer (cabinet of wonders) or a Victorian collection, isolating minerals, insect wings, and feathers and placing them under glass in locket-sized cases. By focusing on the formal qualities of a material, Trask transforms natural specimens into abstract studies of color or texture.

Works by this artist (40 items)

View all artworks
William Henry Rinehart, Hero, modeled 1866, painted plaster, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Peabody Institute, 1970.335.5
Hero
Artist
Datemodeled 1866
painted plaster
On view
William Henry Rinehart, Harriet Lane Johnston, 1873, marble, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Harriet Lane Johnston, 1994.72
Harriet Lane Johnston
Artist
Date1873
marble
On view
William Henry Rinehart, Robert Vanderburgh McKim, ca. 1867, painted plaster, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Peabody Institute, 1970.335.21
Robert Vanderburgh McKim
Artist
Dateca. 1867
painted plaster
On view
William Henry Rinehart, Henry Elliott Johnston, 1873, marble, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Harriet Lane Johnston, 1906.9.15
Henry Elliott Johnston
Artist
Date1873
marble
On view

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Olin Levi Warner, Mrs. H.P.W., 1882, plaster, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Carlyle Jones, 1974.88.42
Mrs. H.P.W.
Artist
Date1882
plaster
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Anthony de Francisci, Pot of Basil, plaster, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Anthony de Francisci, 1966.51.1
Pot of Basil
Artist
plaster
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Image Not Available
Hiram Powers
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plaster
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Hiram Powers, Mold of a Woman's Hand, plaster, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase in memory of Ralph Cross Johnson, 1968.155.172
Mold of a Woman’s Hand
Artist
plaster
Not on view