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Teapot

  • Albion Smith, Teapot, 1996, pierced, soldered, engraved, formed, and fabricated sterling silver, blue chalcedony, pink tourmaline, and rosewood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Sandra and Gilbert Oken in honor of Kenneth R. Trapp, 1996.51A-B

Luce Center Label

Albion Smith enjoys making all the parts of an object, including clasps, hinges, and miniature fastenings. He creates a variety of detailed teapots and hopes they will be treasured as objects of art and used as functional vessels. In this piece, the winding patterns were engraved onto a flat sheet of layered silver, then scored, bent, and soldered into the hexagonal form. The different parts of the teapot blend seamlessly, with the designs radiating out from the richly colored gem at the center of each panel.

Luce Object Quote
"I see . . . in my mind's vision, this flawless object, then strive to match that vision as closely as possible. The teapot's the closest I've come." Albion Smith, "Treasures of Another World"
Title
Teapot
Artist
Albion Smith
Date
1996
On View
  1. Smithsonian American Art Museum
  2. Luce Foundation Center
  3. 4th Floor
  4. 52B
Dimensions
part A (teapot): 4 1/2 x 5 1/4 x 4 1/2 in. (11.5 x 13.4 x 11.5 cm)
Copyright
Credit Line

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Gift of Sandra and Gilbert Oken in honor of Kenneth R. Trapp

Mediums
silver
rosewood
tourmaline
chalcedony
Mediums Description
pierced, soldered, engraved, formed, and fabricated sterling silver, blue chalcedony, pink tourmaline, and rosewood
Classifications
Decorative Arts
Object Number
1996.51A-B
Palette
Linked Open Data URI

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