Be Still…

Copied Kathleen Royster Lamb, Be Still. . ., 1998, stoneware, part A (half pear): 4 1⁄4 x 12 1⁄4 x 6 1⁄4 in. (10.7 x 31.1 x 15.8 cm) part B (quarter pear): 4 x 9 3⁄4 x 6 1⁄8 in. (10.1 x 24.8 x 15.5 cm) part C (quarter pear): 3 1⁄4 x 12 x 5 3⁄4 in. (8.3 x 30.5 x 14.5 cm) part D (sugar bowl): 3 3⁄4 x 6 3⁄4 x 4 in. (9.6 x 17.2 x 10.1 cm) part E (creamer): 3 3⁄4 x 6 7⁄8 x 4 5⁄8 in. (9.5 x 17.6 x 11.9 cm) part F (teapot): 7 1⁄2 x 7 3⁄8 x 4 5⁄8 in. (19.2 x 18.8 x 11.8 cm) part G (lid): 2 1⁄8 x 2 1⁄8 x 1 3⁄8 in. (5.3 x 5.3 x 3.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Howard Kottler Endowment for Ceramic Art, 2000.3A-G

Artwork Details

Title
Be Still…
Artist
Date
1998
Location
Dimensions
part A (half pear): 4 1⁄4 x 12 1⁄4 x 6 1⁄4 in. (10.7 x 31.1 x 15.8 cm) part B (quarter pear): 4 x 9 3⁄4 x 6 1⁄8 in. (10.1 x 24.8 x 15.5 cm) part C (quarter pear): 3 1⁄4 x 12 x 5 3⁄4 in. (8.3 x 30.5 x 14.5 cm) part D (sugar bowl): 3 3⁄4 x 6 3⁄4 x 4 in. (9.6 x 17.2 x 10.1 cm) part E (creamer): 3 3⁄4 x 6 7⁄8 x 4 5⁄8 in. (9.5 x 17.6 x 11.9 cm) part F (teapot): 7 1⁄2 x 7 3⁄8 x 4 5⁄8 in. (19.2 x 18.8 x 11.8 cm) part G (lid): 2 1⁄8 x 2 1⁄8 x 1 3⁄8 in. (5.3 x 5.3 x 3.5 cm)
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Howard Kottler Endowment for Ceramic Art
Mediums
Mediums Description
stoneware
Classifications
Subjects
  • Object — fruit — pear
Object Number
2000.3A-G
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2000.3A-G

Artwork Description

Be Still. . . is a tea set—the pear half and quarters are actually elaborate stands for the teapot, creamer, and sugar bowl. Like many of Kathleen Royster Lamb's pieces, leaves and thorns play a prominent role in the interpretation of the design. To Lamb, the leaves signify a protective layer while the thorns symbolize pain. Lamb considers the pear shape to be a feminine form where the leaves protect the fruit's fleshy, delicate core from the thorns of the creamer and sugar bowl. By exposing the core of the fruit, she wants to create a feeling of vulnerability and drama. Lamb intentionally emphasized the length of each pear's stem in an attempt to represent the balance, or lack thereof, that we find within ourselves. (Susan Peterson, Contemporary Ceramics, 2000)