Cord & Discord No.1
Form
2006 (made)
2006 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Martin Smith is a leading figure in British ceramics and a particular exponent of the use of highly abstract, geometrical vessel forms. These are assembled from thrown or moulded earthenware sections, polished or machined to yield smooth, even surfaces of great precision. Contrasting colours and materials are utilised by Smith to alter the perception of space. On this form, the reflective surface of platinum leaf has been employed.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Cord & Discord No.1 (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | White earthenware, thrown and assembled, with underglaze colours and platinum leaf |
| Brief description | Form, 'Cord & Discord No.1', earthenware with platinum leaf, Martin Smith, London, 2006 |
| Physical description | Large, low, circular form in white earthenware, with undulating base, the centre of which is open. The sides initially vertical, curving outwards towards the rim. The interior decorated with platinum leaf, through which sgraffito lines have been drawn. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Gallery label | Martin Smith (born 1950)
‘Cord & Discord No. 1’
2006
In Martin Smith’s ‘Cord & Discord’ series, the taut
geometry of the forms is offset by freeform graphic
improvisation. Each piece carries a continuous
undulating line scratched through the metallic
leaf as the object was rotated. The suggestion
of waveforms is also evident in the earthenware
shapes themselves which, unusually for Smith,
were thrown on the wheel.
Made in London
White earthenware, thrown and assembled,
with underglaze colour and platinum leaf
Museum no. C.1-2006
Gifted to the V&A as winner of the Sotheby’s Award at Collect 2006 |
| Credit line | Given to the V&A as Winner of the Sotheby's Award at COLLECT 2006 |
| Object history | Shown by the Barrett Marsden Gallery at Collect 2006, at which Martin Smith was the recipient of the Sotheby's Award for this piece. |
| Summary | Martin Smith is a leading figure in British ceramics and a particular exponent of the use of highly abstract, geometrical vessel forms. These are assembled from thrown or moulded earthenware sections, polished or machined to yield smooth, even surfaces of great precision. Contrasting colours and materials are utilised by Smith to alter the perception of space. On this form, the reflective surface of platinum leaf has been employed. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.1-2006 |
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| Record created | January 10, 2007 |
| Record URL |
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