MIA: Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture (Bot)

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Sharing artworks from the Minneapolis Art Institute Decorative Arts, Textiles and Sculpture department. Not associated with the Minneapolis Art Institute. Automated thanks to @andreitr.bsky.social and @botfrens.bsky.social

Art Nouveau style; sweeping foliate or thistle-like ribbed decoration; long spout; hinged cover
a. center basket; b-e four bowls; f-i four baskets; j-g eight detachable arms; r. stand
two part case for covered goblet; hooks attach two part together; dark green leather exterior with gold chain-like border decorations; green silk interior
rounded, bulbous body; rust red around mouth; body is tan with light tan incised horizontal stripes; green interior California ceramic artist Renee Margolin is known for her incised stoneware vessels which resemble woven baskets with a Southwestern inspiration. This bulbous piece, with concentric circles regularly spaced from top to bottom to mimic a woven pattern, plays with the relationship between clay and fiber, both used for functional containers since ancient times.
Water glass, barrel-shaped
Nothing says “Wild West” like a chair made from the horns of those icons of the American West, Texas Longhorn cattle. These cattle were prized for their meat and hides, but no one had any use for their dramatic horns. Enter Wenzel Friedrich, a German immigrant who moved to San Antonio, Texas, and saw an opportunity. He became the premier maker of horn furniture by the late 1800s. His clients included not only wealthy Americans, but Europeans looking for an exotic taste of the West, including Britain’s Queen Victoria.
sauce boat, ovate with floral chased banding
Clear glass plate
end of handle flared outward and turned downward; decorated with monogram at top and stylized flowers below
silver oval base with 'rocket ship' and 'globe'; spring mechanism on ship fires coin into globe; red pigment on firing mechanism, side of ship and nob in front top fin; stopper in bottom slides; see also L2003.147.752
concave bottom; outward-flaring, irregular cylindrical shape; predominately roughly rectangular patchwork of colored glass--red, greens, blues, white, black and clear This vase, one of a series for the Venini & Co. glass manufacturer, exemplifies the boldness of design and color typical of post–World War II Italian glass. It was one of several series for Venini by Fulvio Bianconi, the young Paduan illustrator-turned-designer who revitalized the firm during this period. The series is called pezzati, meaning spotted or patched, and the overlapping spots of vivid color that decorate this irregularly formed vase impart the feel of an abstract painting.
Side Chairs, pair of, with hoop backs and shaped splats; attenuated cabriole legs in front, end in spatulate feet. The knees are carved with a shell motif. Slip seats upholstered in blue and silver brocade.
cylindrical body with attached round hollow handle and protruding lip; grey-green exterior encircled with brown and yellow stripes; brown interior
spandrel, tympanum and decorative panels from the Scoville Building, Chicago Louis Sullivan designed these terracotta panels for the exterior of the Scoville Building in Chicago, one of the Adler and Sullivan firm's earliest commissions. It required them to remodel an existing Adler structure to accord with a new, much larger addition. The terracotta pieces shown here formed part of the organic decoration of stylized plants with which Sullivan tied the two buildings together. This lunette ornamented the arch above the windows of the top (fifth) story. It has an undulating design of ferns unfurling and would have complemented other organically-inspired terracotta pieces throughout the exterior.
mosaic representing a scene of an elephant attacking a feline, in multicolors.; known to have come from the floor of an early Christian church near Antioch Animal combat is a Near Eastern theme which entered early into Greek and later Roman art. The introduction of large-scale animal compositions was an important innovation in mosaic decoration, possibly stimulated by circus spectacles. In the fourth century A.D. pavement mosaics of hunting scenes were installed in the villa of Constantine the Great in Antioch, setting an important local precedent. In this fragment of a larger scene, the elephant appears to be somersaulting the tiger with his trunk. The two animals are flattened and generalized into a linear surface pattern, with little attempt at anatomical accuracy. The Romans associated the African elephant with military victory, while tradition held that the tiger, a native of Asia, gave his name to theTigris river. Although this mosaic formed part of a pavement in an Early Christian church, any eventual religious significance of the animals remains obscure, and may not have been intended.
Cup from a cocktail set
Hand-painted marine life in the Art Nouveau stlye green fish, purple rim
silver head of Josephine surrounded by border of delicately colored set ups; Candebec on Seine River made in Napoleon's time
brown ceramic teddy bear with white muzzle and paw bottoms wearing a red bow at his neck; bear has black nose and eyes; rubber stopper on bottom; paper label with initials and writing on bottom
octagonal rifle barrel with simple decoration at the breech; wheel pierced by four hearts; trigger guard forged with three loops at cusps of finger grooves; bone and mother-of-pearl inlay throughout, cheek inlaid with a standing south American Indian. Arms and Armor-Firearm
Besieged Fortress from the Palace of Tiglath-Pileser III (746-727 BC) This Assyrian relief of a city under siege comes from the palace of Tiglath-Pileser III at Nimrud. English archaeologist and diplomat Sir Austen Layard unearthed it during a mid-19th-century excavation. Two Assyrian soldiers mounting a ladder at the left attack the fortifications; one spears a man on a turret as an ally of the victim throws down stones. Two other soldiers are falling from the towers of the upper and lower gates on the right.
abstracted rooster; rounded body with delineated wings; flat cut-out head and tail with "buttons" at ends of tail feathers; vertical rod through center of body extending into decorative base; black patina
garniture of vases, oval panels in sepia of landscapes or figures, framed by striped gold background
cover knob in the shape of a golden Fo dog; brightly-colored "tobacco leaf" pattern, scattered with flowers; double-twisted two-part handle
Study for the marble statue in the Loggia dei Lanzi, Florence, Italy
Inkstand, silver, English XVIIIc cat. card dims H 1-3/4' Elizabeth Godfrey originally registered her mark as Elizabeth Buteux following the death of her first husband Abraham Buteux, then again when her second husband Benjamin Godfrey died. She enjoyed the patronage of aristocratic clients throughout her career, and is represented in the collection of several major museums. Her training presumably began under her father, distinguished sivlersmith Simon Pantin. Augustin Courtauld apprenticed with Pantin before establishing his own family dynasty in the trade. Note the salver in the center of this case, which was retailed by Courtauld's son and daughter-in-law.
Angel with yellow cape, one of a pair, from Nativity Scene
porcelain, powder blue ground, exotic birds, butterfiles and insects During the 1700s, Europeans were fascinated with travel accounts of exotic places that few would actually visit, like China, Japan, and India. In place of actual encounters, people surrounded themselves with products imported from Asia and the Middle East or influenced by Eastern designs. English ceramics factories like Worcester imitated Chinese ceramics and decorated its porcelain with Asian motifs, such as the landscapes and exotic birds seen here, in an effort to compete with a lucrative market.
bank in the shape of a pail; silver handle and bands at top and bottom of body; top and central band in pink; "Prosperity BANK" and "PENNY SAVED / PENNY EARNED" on top in dark blue; key attached to handle
green glass tumbler form; slightly outward-flaring sides from wide base with deeply concave underside; three rings/ribs with fluting Pasglazen were used for drinking games in 17th-century Holland. Participants had to drink exactly from one horizontal mark to the next. In case they drank too much, they had to drink down to the next mark, and so forth. Of course, the more inebriated one became, the more difficult it was to precisely reach the next mark—thus precipitating even more imbibing. Because the users of such glasses frequently broke them in the course of their drunken revelries, only a small number of them have come down to us. Their inclusion in still life paintings of the time, however, show just how popular they were.
bird alighting on an outstretched PR hand; abstracted tree leaves at L edge; moulded tile with pinkish-purple glaze
weathervane in the form of a leaping deer with two separate horns and three-dimensional ears; gold patina Notice the small circular dents, likely from shotgun pellets. Perhaps someone was doing a little target practice, or maybe the weathervane got between a hunter and a bird on the wing. Luckily, the damage wasn’t worse. This rare deer weathervane is one of only three known examples by its anonymous maker. The three-dimensional copper form, ears, tail, and lead-filled, half-round antlers were all hand hammered, probably over wooden forms carved by the artist. The cast zinc head was made by pouring molten metal into a mold and letting it cool and harden.
wine decanter with stopper, crystal
outdoor Chanukah lamp; glass enclosed chamber housing eight removable cylindrical oil containers within hinged doors; servant light housed in individual chamber between twin smoke stacks
small foot; vessel flares outward to wide, nearly flat shoulder; small mouth; light brownish tint; blue rings and swirls at mouth; brown and blue swirls on one side; grid, bars and other textured areas
Figure of a Persian nobleman, possibly Darius I.
bank shaped like a suitcase with movable handle; gold straps, red trim, light green body; coin slot below handle
Florentine pattern; white ground with printed phoenix armorial design in rust within rust and gilt borders of winged chimeras, urns and profiles in ovals
teardrop-shaped with point rounded and pulled slightly toward one side; peach glaze
standing elephant; trunk moves back and forth; grey; silver and gold blanket and "saddle"
Plate
Tankard, Parcel gilt, wrought in extremely high relief, with the scene of the Crossing of the Red Sea Schlaubitz was the foremost silversmith of his age in Gdansk, a major trading port on the Baltic Sea. The tankard is adorned with the biblical scene of Moses crossing the Red Sea, which would have had special significance for a patron in a city dominated by maritime economy.
Plate, ceramic-porcelain, decorated with yellow bird in center, narrow blue band around edge; previously catalogued as one of a pair
ceramic boar with large ears, nose and tusks; curly tail; cut in eyes, mouth, nostrils and face wrinkles; color light and dark grey with beige; one ear tip turns down; shiny glaze;
double-edged sword with modern inlay on pommel, bronze, mother-of-pearl. Arms and Armor-Edged Weapon
Bowl, Seljuk dynasty, light creamy earthenware, covered with a thick coat of opaque white tin enamel. Funnel-shaped, with straight standing rim, slightly ridged on outside where it is decorated with Cufic characters in black. Low raised foot. Inside of rim decorated with conventionalized band of Cufic characters in gold, blue and red. Medallion in center of bowl shows three figures in blue and gold garments; this medallion is surrounded by ten smaller figures, eahc in a separate 'niche', and above this is a row of sixteen still smaller figures. All figures shown with gold nimbus. Mended; has been broken in many pieces. Saveh excavation. This exceptionally fine bowl shows a courtly scene. An enthroned personage in the central medallion is accompanied by two attendants; ten smaller figures surround the medallion, and the next tier is a row of sixteen even smaller figures. Kufic script decorates the outside of the rim. Minai is the name for this type of overglaze-painted ware. The human, animal, arabesque, and calligraphic themes of minai ware were often comparable to the subjects that miniaturists painted for texts, and several examples directly relate to the stories in illustrated books. The museum owns an outstanding group of minai bowls, including an example of the less common variant with designs executed on a turquoise ground.
pierced border; blue and gilt edges; lion crest in orange-red, blue and gilt
X-shaped silver frame with dark purple and red threads wrapped around frame to form two rectangles; central rectangle of dark ebony wood with silver bar at middle The three brooches shown here exhibit Bertoia's skill as a designer/craftsman. He skillfully manipulated and forged silver and thread to create wearable pieces that explored qualities of transparency, biomorphism, and zoomorphism. The aesthetic that he helped develop proved extremely influential in the jewelry field throughout the 1960s. Jewelry was part of Bertoia's creative output for a relatively short period of time, mainly during and after World War II when restrictions on metal forced him to work on a small scale. By 1949, architect Ralph Rapson, who had known Bertoia during their time as students at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, contacted Bertoia for jewelry to sell through his and his wife Mary’s new modern design shop in Boston, Rapson, Inc. At least eight pieces, including these three, were retained by the couple when they sold the business in 1954.
Daedalus, the architect, inventor, and craftsman of Greek legend, is shown attaching wings to the back of his son, Icarus, and pointing upward and away. According to the most influential version of the ancient myth as it is recounted by Ovid, Daedalus fabricated wings of feathers and wax in order to escape by air from the island of Crete, where he and his son were held captive by King Minos. Disregarding his father’s advice, Icarus flew too close to the sun. The wax melted and he fell into the sea and drowned. The myth of Daedalus and Icarus has remained a popular parable about heeding one’s elders, the dangers of excessive ambition and pride, and the benefits and risks of technological progress.
two wire-like handles; two lobes on body which rests on lobed stem attached to foot The kantharos (plural, kantharoi), a type of drinking cup with two high loop handles and a deep bowl, is particularly associated with Dionysos, the Greek god of wine and vegetation. Its horizontal handles make this cup unusual, since they more closely resemble those of a shallower type of cup known as a kylixthan those of other kantharoi. Since few ceramic examples of kantharoi survive, it is believed that they were more usually made of bronze, silver, or gold. Metal examples, often destroyed by corrosion or melted down for other uses, are also rare.
The Anointing of the Body, copper, enamel frieze The city of Limoges, France, was renowned for the quality of its metalwork and enamels throughout the Middle Ages. The artist formed this relief by hammering the rough design into the copper from the reverse, a technique known as repoussé, then finishing the scene by chasing details into the front surface. The blue enamel eyes, gilt surface, and engraved decorative elements all lend added richness. This relief has been linked to a series of extant repoussé panels depicting scenes from the Passion of Christ, including the Last Supper, The Betrayal of Christ, and the Flagellation. In the Entombment, Christ is being prepared for burial. Joseph of Arimathea clasps his head in grief while Nicodemus and Mary Magdalene anoint his body with ointments and Mary cradles her dead son's head. The Entombment would have been a highly valued object of devotion on the church's altar.
saucer, white glass with purple marbled pattern
rounded, egg-shaped form with organic opening across top; textured overall with raised smooth bumps; organic panels around and below top opening, decorated with small dots of various sizes of brass inlays; large rounded brass inlays on each side at top
speckled robin's egg blue enameled furnace with metal grill
side chair, Sheraton style; open back, with five slender moulded uprights in center, the three middle ones terminating in rosettes and the outer ones joined by moulding of crest rail; moulded slightly tapering legs, braced with four stretchers; maroon colored leather seat, serpentine front, edged with double row of brass nail heads
square wood building on wood base with marquetry veneer siding, doors and 2 windows; removable roof with coin slot beneath; sliding rear panel
cone-shaped base (may be tzedakah box?) with open basketweave designs and lions; thin stem with 4 pairs of arms plus one bottom central arm; arm pairs rotate; cupola-like finial; 9 large gold-plated cups, 5 small gold-plated candle cups; 10 candle cup holders and 39 glass cups of 2 different types included
tall vase with slightly flattened ovoid lower section tapering to a slightly flaring long neck, curved inward at mouth; turquoise glaze with 6 leaf forms, in yellow, red and green, emerging from dents in vase surface
lid chipped and badly restored
silver plastic revolving robot with googly eyes holding a try for coins set in a round grey coin reservoir; "ROBOT MACHINE BANK" is labelled on the front in day-glow orange