Odette
Fruit Bowl
1985 (designed), ca. 1987-1988 (made)
1985 (designed), ca. 1987-1988 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Odette fruit bowl is part of Bořek Šípek's Follies series for the Italian design editing firm Driade SpA, his first major client. Its title refers to a character in Marcel Proust’s cycle of novels Remembrance of Things Past . A related design, a pitcher with a pierced metal shield, is named Swann after the novel’s main character, who falls in love with Odette. The design shows the historicism of Šípek's work both in its overall form, which is reminiscent of a Renaissance compote or tazza, and its decorative detail of handles, painted scrollwork, and perforations.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
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| Title | Odette (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Porcelain, painted in blue, with silver-plated brass stand |
| Brief description | Fruit bowl, 'Odette', porcelain decorated in blue, in pierced silver-plated stand, designed by Bořek Šípek, made 1987-1988 |
| Physical description | Fruit bowl, porcelain, with four handles attached to exterior, decorated in blue; this supported by a silver-plated brass stand with a pierced foot and high stem. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | Unmarked |
| Credit line | Purchase funded by the Friends of the V&A |
| Object history | The Odette fruit bowl is part of Bořek Šípek's Follies series for the Italian design editing firm Driade SpA, his first major client. Its title refers to a character in Marcel Proust’s cycle of novels Remembrance of Things Past . A related design, a pitcher with a pierced metal shield, is named Swann after the novel’s main character, who falls in love with Odette. The design shows the historicism of Šípek's work both in its overall form, which is reminiscent of a Renaissance compote or tazza, and its decorative detail of handles, painted scrollwork, and perforations. Formerly in an anonymous private collection in San Jose, California, together with the Isotta bowl (Museum no. C.52-2011). |
| Production | Commissioned as part of Šípek's 'Follies' series for the Italian 'design editing' firm, Driade SpA. According to the vendor, this example is an early production piece dating from around 1987-1988. |
| Summary | The Odette fruit bowl is part of Bořek Šípek's Follies series for the Italian design editing firm Driade SpA, his first major client. Its title refers to a character in Marcel Proust’s cycle of novels Remembrance of Things Past . A related design, a pitcher with a pierced metal shield, is named Swann after the novel’s main character, who falls in love with Odette. The design shows the historicism of Šípek's work both in its overall form, which is reminiscent of a Renaissance compote or tazza, and its decorative detail of handles, painted scrollwork, and perforations. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | C.51:1, 2-2011 |
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| Record created | July 12, 2011 |
| Record URL |
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