Shell Container

Stuart Golder, Shell Container, 1978, sterling silver, 18k gold, and copper, 1⁄2 x 1 1⁄4 x 1 1⁄8 in. (1.4 x 3.1 x 2.8 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Paul and Carole Garrison, 2000.41.12, © 1970-78, Stuart Golder

Artwork Details

Title
Shell Container
Artist
Date
1978
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
1⁄2 x 1 1⁄4 x 1 1⁄8 in. (1.4 x 3.1 x 2.8 cm)
Copyright
© 1970-78, Stuart Golder
Credit Line
Gift of Paul and Carole Garrison
Mediums
Mediums Description
sterling silver, 18k gold, and copper
Classifications
Subjects
  • Object — other — shell
Object Number
2000.41.12
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2000.41.12

Artwork Description

These fifteen miniature containers (see 2000.41.1 to 2000.41.15) are part of a series of twenty-eight boxes that Stuart Golder created from 1970 to 1978, each one unique and no more than an inch in size. His technique involved bending the sheet metal, while other parts were formed, sawed, filed, shaped to fit, and soldered. He completed the surface finish by filing, sanding, and mirror polishing with an electric buffer, and he crafted the hinges and catches by hand. Many people asked him why he spent eight years on this project. He replied, "the preciousness of the form and the ability to hold a small universe in one's hands always intrigued me."

Works by this artist (7 items)

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Image Not Available
In the Moonlight
Artist
opaque watercolor
Not on view
Morris Graves, Logged Mountains, ca. 1935-1943, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from General Services Administration, 1971.447.33
Logged Mountains
Artist
Dateca. 1935-1943
oil on canvas
Not on view
Morris Graves, Spring with Machine Age Noise V, 1957, ink and tempera on paper mounted on paperboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., 1969.47.58
Spring with Machine Age Noise V
Artist
Date1957
ink and tempera on paper mounted on paperboard
Not on view
Morris Graves, Hibernation, 1954, watercolor on paper mounted on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Sara Roby Foundation, 1986.6.37
Hibernation
Artist
Date1954
watercolor on paper mounted on paper
Not on view

More Artworks from the Collection

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Untitled from the series Vintage Kodalith prints
Artist
Date1970
Kodalith print
Not on view
Image Not Available
Bently
Artist
Dateca. 1975
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled, ca. 1945-1950, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Lewis and Jean Greenblatt, 2002.86.9
Untitled
Artist
Dateca. 1945-1950
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Untitled, ca. 1945-1950, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Lewis and Jean Greenblatt, 2002.86.7
Untitled
Artist
Dateca. 1945-1950
gelatin silver print
Not on view