Cake Slice
1995 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This slice bear’s Hector Miller’s tell-tale signature, a smooth finish highlighted by a keen sense of decorative detail. The integral nature of blade and handle is reinforced by the dynamic fluting, which gives this slice a sense of movement, reminiscent of the ‘speed whiskers’ of 1930s design. This is tied to the decorative flourish of the enamel, which focuses the eyes and provides texture and depth.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver, chased and enamelled |
| Brief description | Silver and enamel, London hallmarks for 1995, mark of Hector Miller, enamelled finial by Frances Loyen |
| Physical description | The blade is an elongated trowel form from which the handle continues, ostensibly in one piece. The handle and blade are actually invisibly welded in several parts; inaccessible seams are masked by a concave soldered under-heel piece. The handle rises from a waisted stem, which is conveyed by a multi-fluted array that first narrows and then widens to circumscribe and embrace an enamelled finial. The enamelling is a partially gilt, blue-grey snail. The surface of the blade and handle are highly polished. |
| 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 |
| Historical context | Part of a collection of fish slices commissioned by Professor Rabinovitch from contemporary North American and British makers. |
| Summary | This slice bear’s Hector Miller’s tell-tale signature, a smooth finish highlighted by a keen sense of decorative detail. The integral nature of blade and handle is reinforced by the dynamic fluting, which gives this slice a sense of movement, reminiscent of the ‘speed whiskers’ of 1930s design. This is tied to the decorative flourish of the enamel, which focuses the eyes and provides texture and depth. |
| Bibliographic reference | Benton Seymour Rabinovitch and Helen Clifford, Contemporary Silver, commissioning designing collecting, London, Merrell, pp.72-3. ill. ISBN.1858941040 |
| Other number | LOAN:AMERICANFRIENDS.93-2005 - previous loan number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.66-2008 |
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| Record created | May 12, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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