Weathervane Teapot

Peter Shire, Weathervane Teapot, 1981, glazed ceramic and wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Donna and John Donaldson in memory of Jean and John Michael on the occasion of the Fifteenth Anniversary of the James Renwick Alliance and the Twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Renwick Gallery, 1997.109.24A-B
Peter Shire, Weathervane Teapot, 1981, glazed ceramic and wood, overall: 12 1⁄2 x 15 3⁄4 x 5 1⁄2 in. (31.8 x 40.0 x 14.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Donna and John Donaldson in memory of Jean and John Michael on the occasion of the Fifteenth Anniversary of the James Renwick Alliance and the Twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Renwick Gallery, 1997.109.24A-B

Artwork Details

Title
Weathervane Teapot
Artist
Date
1981
Location
Dimensions
overall: 12 1⁄2 x 15 3⁄4 x 5 1⁄2 in. (31.8 x 40.0 x 14.0 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Donna and John Donaldson in memory of Jean and John Michael on the occasion of the Fifteenth Anniversary of the James Renwick Alliance and the Twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Renwick Gallery
Mediums
Mediums Description
glazed ceramic and wood
Classifications
Subjects
  • Abstract
Object Number
1997.109.24A-B
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1997.109.24A-B

Artwork Description

Peter Shire's teapots are constructions of color and shapes built out of slabs of clay. Weathervane Teapot is a balancing act of three-dimensional squares and balls, with squiggly rods and hollow tubes. He hoped that his whimsical pots would break down traditional, class-conscious ideas about "tea-time," making it a practice accessible to all. This teapot asks to be picked up, but leaves us wondering where we should hold it to pour the tea, or if it is capable of pouring at all. Shire stopped making clay teapots in 1985, devoting his time thereafter to building furniture.

Works by this artist (4 items)

Weegee, Rehearsal, Yiddish Theatre, 1943, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Virginia Zabriskie, 1983.110.9, © 1942, Wilma Wilcox, Curator Weegee Collection
Rehearsal, Yiddish Theatre
Artist
Date1943
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Weegee, An incident in the snowstorm. Rag peddler Sam Karshnowitz leads a horse along the street in a bitter snowstorm. The horse has been rented for the day to pull his wagon., 1944, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Luisita L. and Franz H. Denghausen Endowment, 2016.40.13, © Weegee / International Center for Photography
An incident in the snowstorm. Rag peddler Sam Karshnowitz…
Artist
Date1944
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Weegee, Celebration at End of War, ca. 1945, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1974.32.4
Celebration at End of War
Artist
Dateca. 1945
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Weegee, Audience watching "House on Haunted Hill", 1959, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1988.45, © 1950, Wilma Wilcox, Curator Weegee Collection
Audience watching ​“House on Haunted Hill”
Artist
Date1959
gelatin silver print
Not on view

Audio

PETER SHIRE

Born: Los Angeles, California 1947

Weathervane Teapot

1999, glazed earthenware

 

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