Skip to main content Smithsonian Institution

Catalog Data

Artist:
Robert Ebendorf, born Topeka, KS 1938  Search this
Medium:
found materials and metal
Dimensions:
13 x 12 x 1 1/4 in. (33.0 x 30.5 x 3.3 cm.)
Type:
Decorative Arts-Jewelry
Crafts
Date:
1996
Luce Center Label:
Robert Ebendorf created a series of disturbing pieces with this title following a painful divorce. The chicken's foot, squirrel's paw, and numerous claws represent the loss of hands, which are a jeweler's means of creating. With these symbols, Ebendorf expressed his own sense of loss in his personal life. The act of creating the pieces, however, was a kind of salvation for the artist. He acknowledged this by including in this piece a crucifix, an image of Jesus and rosary beads, to suggest suffering and redemption.
Topic:
Animal\bird  Search this
Religion\New Testament\Christ  Search this
Dress\accessory\jewelry  Search this
Animal\rabbit  Search this
Religion\New Testament\Crucifixion  Search this
Animal\fish\crab  Search this
Figure\fragment\skeleton  Search this
Emblem\cross  Search this
Credit Line:
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist in memory of Mr. Ronald H. Pearson
Object number:
1996.61
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department:
Renwick Gallery
Data Source:
Smithsonian American Art Museum
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk78208beb7-1128-4202-a7f6-268ed098154f
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:saam_1996.61