Gone Fishing
Fish Slice
2000 (made)
2000 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
To paraphrase the artist’s own words: “ Gone Fishing!” is a direct response to the environment from which fish come: a bleak landscape, hard lines and rawness. The blade is a long expanse of silver; a tapered, curved surface like a long, sweeping beach at low tide. The edges have been kept raw, showing the marks left after piercing, bringing a texture and references to tides, currents and water. The handle is the waves, in theory making you get your hands dirty! A true response to pre-packed and processed fish, which arrives at the table in fish shapes, with no need for preparation. The server is functional, however. But, added to this function is the notion of play: it rocks and has a fish in a line which can dip in and out of the waves, so becoming a playful object which brings amusement to the table when someone has gone fishing!
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Gone Fishing (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Silver, 14 carat gold |
| Brief description | Silver and 14 carat gold, London hallmarks for 2000, mark of David Clarke |
| Physical description | The blade is a 14-gauge, longitudinally dished sheet of quadrilateral shape that tapers on width from its bevelled front edge to a rear straight edge. Two parallel vertical struts create a three-dimensional “boat in the water” effect. At the rear, a 2mm gold tube finishes the end of one strut and carries an inserted 18K red gold wire fish outline. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions |
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| Gallery label | This collection of silver slices, all commissioned over a period of twenty years by Professor Benton Seymour Rabinovitch FRS, is proof of the skill and diversity of contemporary silversmiths. Each artist craftsman has responded to the familiar functional form of the slice in an individual way, producing an astonishingly diverse range of interpretations. Each piece becomes an enchanting, decorative work of art. Professor Rabinovitch established a close rapport with each artist, always encouraging a freedom of creative expression. The response of these silversmiths has been not only to be strikingly imaginative but also to honour him by giving him their best work.
This collection is testimony to the significant contribution that one individual can make to supporting the craft of silversmithing. After commissioning work from some of the most illustrious names in British and North American silversmithing, Professor Rabinovitch has very generously donated his entire collection to the Victoria and Albert Museum, through the American Friends of the V&A.(2005) |
| Credit line | Given by the American Friends of the V&A through the generosity of Professor B. Seymour Rabinovitch |
| Object history | Fish & Cake slice exhibition RF.2004/419 |
| Historical context | Part of a collection of fish slices commissioned by Professor Rabinovitch from contemporary North American and British makers. |
| Summary | To paraphrase the artist’s own words: “ Gone Fishing!” is a direct response to the environment from which fish come: a bleak landscape, hard lines and rawness. The blade is a long expanse of silver; a tapered, curved surface like a long, sweeping beach at low tide. The edges have been kept raw, showing the marks left after piercing, bringing a texture and references to tides, currents and water. The handle is the waves, in theory making you get your hands dirty! A true response to pre-packed and processed fish, which arrives at the table in fish shapes, with no need for preparation. The server is functional, however. But, added to this function is the notion of play: it rocks and has a fish in a line which can dip in and out of the waves, so becoming a playful object which brings amusement to the table when someone has gone fishing! |
| Bibliographic reference | Benton Seymour Rabinovitch, Contemporary Silver, Part II Recent Commissions, Seattle, RAB Associates, 2005, pp.18-19. ill. |
| Other number | LOAN:AMERICANFRIENDS.69-2005 - previous loan number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.42-2008 |
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| Record created | May 9, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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