Harlan W. Butt, Earth Beneath Our Feet: Incense Burner #3, 2000, silver, brass, and enamel, 4 3⁄8 x 6 5⁄8 in. (11.1 x 16.7 cm) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the Midwest Enamelist Guild, 2000.45A-B
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Earth Beneath Our Feet: Incense Burner #3
- Artist
- Date
- 2000
- Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 4 3⁄8 x 6 5⁄8 in. (11.1 x 16.7 cm) diam.
- Credit Line
- Gift of the Midwest Enamelist Guild
- Mediums Description
- silver, brass, and enamel
- Classifications
- Subjects
- Animal — amphibian — frog
- Animal — reptile — snake
- Landscape — plant — water lily
- Object Number
- 2000.45A-B
Artwork Description
This incense burner, or censer, depicts a dramatic moment in a small corner of nature. An incantation on the edge of the lid reads "devour, transformation, metamorphosis." It refers to the fate of the frog about to be taken by the snake in an act that will transform both creatures. The rich enameling on the body of the censer replicates the hypnotic array of scales on the snake's skin, and calls our attention to the beautiful and the terrifying in nature's cycles.
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