Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Silver, Room 68, The Whiteley Galleries

Tall and Small

Vessel
2012 (designed and made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

“Tall and Small” is a pair of vessels that express playful exploration of scale and proportion by reference to the act of drinking. The two polished cone shaped vessels can be interpreted as a jug and a cup. The jug is three times as tall the cup and its base is at the widest end of the cone. The cup is constructed in reverse with the narrowest end being the base. Both jug and cup have an accompanying decorative detail in the form of a piece of punched and curved sheet of gilding metal of the same size and trapezoid shape which serves to offset or draw attention to the similarities and differences between the two vessels.

The gilding metal piece appears attached to the side of the jug like a patch suggesting the placing of the hand and referencing a handle. Conversely the same piece becomes a wall in relation to the cup behind where the cup is only partially seen. The visual tension in the relationships between the four parts is intensified by the contrast between the uncompromising geometry of the cone shapes and the severity of the polished finish compared to the gentle tones of the gilding metal elements and the softness of the quilted effect resulting from the punched texturing. In terms of drinking, the largeness of the jug might be seen to relate to the strength of an alcoholic drink while the smallness of the cup suggests regulation of the amount to be consumed.
(Artist’s statement, 2014)

Rebecca de Quin RCA is a silversmith who has successfully combined studio practice with a parallel career in teaching for twenty five years. Her work has been shown extensively in the UK and Europe as well as in the US, Japan and Hong Kong and she is a Goldsmiths’ Fair exhibitor. Rebecca has pieces in a number of British collections including The Crafts Council, The Goldsmiths’ Company, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and Liverpool Museum. Her current work combines silver with non-precious metals in distinct assemblages, which seek to induce a multi-viewpoint experience of changing compositions. Rebecca lives and works in London.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 2 parts.

  • Cup
  • Plate
TitleTall and Small (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
SIlver, raised, the base soldered to the wall and gilding metal, curved, cut and punched with a quilted pattern.
Brief description
"Tall and Small", one of a pair of vessels, silver and gilding metal, London hallmarks for 2012, mark of Rebecca de Quin.
Physical description
The silver cup, a plain inverted cone rises from a small circular base, standing on a narrow, recessed circular foot. A curved, trapezium of gilding metal and with similar crosshatching to the section attached to the jug, is completely detached. It stands adjacent to the cup and is inverted in relation to that on the jug, thus providing a visual counterpoint.
Dimensions
  • Height: 9.4cm
  • Diameter: 4.8cm (maximum)
Style
Production typeUnique
Marks and inscriptions
  • London hallmarks for 2012
  • Mark of Rebecca de Quin (Stamped on the underside of the base)
Gallery label
Tall and Small Silver and gilding metal Rebecca de Quin London, 2012 Purchased with assistance from the James Yorke-Radleigh Bequest Fund M.6:1&2, 7:1&2-2015 Rebecca de Quin combines silver and other metals in her vessels to reinterpret traditional uses of domestic silver. Her work is inspired by Modernist architecture and design, and she enjoys experimenting with surface finish and methods of fabrication. In Tall and Small de Quin plays with scale, proportion, geometries, and material to create her interpretation of a jug and cup. (12.12.2023)
Credit line
Purchased with funds from the Yorke Radleigh Bequest
Summary
“Tall and Small” is a pair of vessels that express playful exploration of scale and proportion by reference to the act of drinking. The two polished cone shaped vessels can be interpreted as a jug and a cup. The jug is three times as tall the cup and its base is at the widest end of the cone. The cup is constructed in reverse with the narrowest end being the base. Both jug and cup have an accompanying decorative detail in the form of a piece of punched and curved sheet of gilding metal of the same size and trapezoid shape which serves to offset or draw attention to the similarities and differences between the two vessels.

The gilding metal piece appears attached to the side of the jug like a patch suggesting the placing of the hand and referencing a handle. Conversely the same piece becomes a wall in relation to the cup behind where the cup is only partially seen. The visual tension in the relationships between the four parts is intensified by the contrast between the uncompromising geometry of the cone shapes and the severity of the polished finish compared to the gentle tones of the gilding metal elements and the softness of the quilted effect resulting from the punched texturing. In terms of drinking, the largeness of the jug might be seen to relate to the strength of an alcoholic drink while the smallness of the cup suggests regulation of the amount to be consumed.
(Artist’s statement, 2014)

Rebecca de Quin RCA is a silversmith who has successfully combined studio practice with a parallel career in teaching for twenty five years. Her work has been shown extensively in the UK and Europe as well as in the US, Japan and Hong Kong and she is a Goldsmiths’ Fair exhibitor. Rebecca has pieces in a number of British collections including The Crafts Council, The Goldsmiths’ Company, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and Liverpool Museum. Her current work combines silver with non-precious metals in distinct assemblages, which seek to induce a multi-viewpoint experience of changing compositions. Rebecca lives and works in London.
Associated objects
Collection
Accession number
M.7:1,2-2015

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Record createdAugust 26, 2015
Record URL
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