The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 24, 2024
Perpetual Vine Cup
1965
(American, Cleveland, 1904–1994)
Overall: 7.7 x 10 cm (3 1/16 x 3 15/16 in.)
Bequest of Marie Odenkirk Clark 1972.1195.a
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
There is no backing to the enamel cloisonné in Perpetual Vine, rendering it both translucent and dangerously fragile.Description
Kenneth Bates spent a lifetime devoted to the art of enameling. He taught several generations of students at the Cleveland Institute of Art, who subsequently became renowned enamelists, and created a spectacular body of work that won him international accolades. This small, luxurious cup typifies the skill and technical prowess of Bates's talent. Featuring the cloisonné enamel technique known as plique-à-jour, in which the enamel is applied in cells with no backing, the cup seemingly exists with no structure, held aloft only by the tiny silver arms of its stand. The translucent enamel lets the light permeate as a stained glass window would in a church. The effect is ethereal and impressionistic, and in this way, recalls the work of the masters of this art from the early 1900s, René Lalique and Fernand Thesmar.- In Honor of The Cleveland Arts Prize. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (June 13, 2010-March 13, 2011).The Cleveland Museum of Art (06/13/2010 - 11/4/2010): "In Honor of the Cleveland Arts Prize"Long Beach Museum of Art, CA (1/12/2007 - 8/19/2007): "Painting with Fire: Masters of Enameling in America, 1930-1980"Painting with Fire: Masters of Enameling in America, 1930-1980. Long Beach Museum of Art (organizer) (January 12-August 19, 2007).The May Show: 46th Annual Exhibition of Works by Artists and Craftsmen of The Western Reserve. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 6-June 14, 1964).May Show, 1964, Jury Mention.
- {{cite web|title=Perpetual Vine Cup|url=false|author=Kenneth F. Bates|year=1965|access-date=24 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1972.1195.a