Fish Slice
2000 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This silver and gold sculpture powerfully stimulates the imagination. Its rounded form suggests an aquatic animal- a seal, a penguin- while also inviting the hand to grasp and hold it and to experience its smooth contours. The artist has succeeded remarkably well in creating an original decorative piece of fine art which is also quite functional for its purpose.
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Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Silver inlaid with gold |
| Brief description | Silver and gold, Edinburgh hallmarks for 2000, mark of Marion Kane |
| Physical description | This server is a sculptural shape wrought from a sheet if silver, and with a dual presentation capability. When prone on a table it belies its function: it suggests an animal form wherein the long, rounded body necks into a smaller, rounded ovoid head, and which invites the grasp. When turned over on its back, the piece reveals a large scoop blade having a bevelled leading edge that declares its function as lifter and server. The blade surface is decorated with a longitudinal array of irregular, small, multilateral gold leaf forms. The outer surface has a light brush finish. |
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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 silver and gold sculpture powerfully stimulates the imagination. Its rounded form suggests an aquatic animal- a seal, a penguin- while also inviting the hand to grasp and hold it and to experience its smooth contours. The artist has succeeded remarkably well in creating an original decorative piece of fine art which is also quite functional for its purpose. |
| Bibliographic reference | Benton Seymour Rabinovitch, Contemporary Silver, Part II Recent Commissions, Seattle, RAB Associates, 2005, pp.26-7. ill. |
| Other number | LOAN:AMERICANFRIENDS.83-2005 - previous loan number |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | M.56-2008 |
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| Record created | May 9, 2008 |
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