Leif Wicklund, Teacup (one of five), ca. 1975, mineral colored clays with fritted lead glaze, height approx. 4 3⁄4 in. (12.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1975.132.5
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Teacup (one of five)
- Artist
- Date
- ca. 1975
- Location
- Dimensions
- height approx. 4 3⁄4 in. (12.0 cm)
- Credit Line
- Museum purchase
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- mineral colored clays with fritted lead glaze
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Landscape — celestial — star
- Landscape — waterfall
- Landscape — mountain
- Landscape — river
- Landscape — celestial — moon
- Abstract
- Object Number
- 1975.132.5
Artwork Description
This set of five teacups shows a scene with the constellation Orion dominating the sky, while a waterfall gushes down the reverse side and into the river below. Leif Wicklund decorated his teacups with layers of colored clay over light clay slabs to create imaginative landscapes with texture. Since concentrated areas of copper turn black in the kiln, Wicklund achieved the black detailing in the teacups by rubbing copper-laced glaze into their surfaces before firing. This set was featured in the Renwick Gallery's 1975–76 exhibition Craft Multiples, which highlighted the work of production craftsmen who created utilitarian objects in multiples of ten or more.