Clay Inkwell, circa 19th c.

Description

Inkwell 1.5” w x 2” h, most likely stoneware, salt or wood fired to create a glossy glaze across most of the surface, except for the base and one side where the clay is bare, likely due to being placed close to another piece in the kiln. Warm brown/tan with brassy tones where glazed, bare clay is a cold gray. It was thrown individually on a wheel, a stout body and narrow neck. A fingerprint is pressed into one side near the base, and striations on the base show where it was cut from the wheel.

Clay Inkwell, c. 19th century

Cabinet of Curiosity

This post is a little different than others. During the deep dark depths of quarantine, I spent some time going through my own collections and creating a Cabinet of Curiosity.

I love things. I love the aesthetic experience of things. The weight in your hands and the physicality of an object, the tactile feel against fingertips, the color, the shape, the smell and even the sound. I love things that make you pause and appreciate the materiality of living.

Palimpsest

Stanley William Hayter (1901-1988)
Palimpsest, 1946
Sugar lift, soft-ground etching and scorper
Plate: 8 7/8 × 6 7/8 in. (22.5 × 17.5 cm) Sheet: 13 1/8 × 10 3/16 in. (33.3 × 25.9 cm)

Stewart S. MacDermott Fund, 1983
Accession Number: 1983.1141.1
© 2017 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Quote of the Month

A museum is a place where time has become space.

  – Orhan Pamuk, The Museum of Innocence

 

I think this quote really captures the museum experience.

Museums turn their subject matter into a physical experience – whether history, art, ethnography or science. While period houses are the most obvious culprits, all museums tell stories about different times and places by virtue of simply placing objects around a room.

So next time you go to a museum, think about the story the space around you is telling.

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Explore Further

Visit the Museum of Innocence

“Jumping off the page” – A great read