Name/Title
The Tea PotEntry/Object ID
2021.07Description
Two women standing in water. One woman, in white, has two gloves on in the shape of swan heads. One swan carries a teapot in its mouth. The other woman, not colored, has one swan glove and a hat with a swan head on. Her exposed hand is against the chest of the other woman.Artwork Details
Medium
Gouache and graphite on handmade paperContext
The women is Spiess-Ferris’s works often take on the personas of goddesses, either in the spiritual or natural worlds. They are multifaceted and slippery depictions that teeter on the edge of powerful and vulnerable, naïve and sly. The swans found throughout The Tea Pot composition are a regular motif in her works. For the artist, the multiple dimensions and personifications of swans throughout Western histories makes them a nice companion animal to compare and contrast with the multifarious ways that Western histories depict women. In addition, Spiess-Ferris’s upbringing in rural New Mexico taught her the importance of nature and one’s connection to it. Therefore, throughout her works, the direct connection of women to nature and the preservation of the natural world through the work and power of woman is pervasive.Acquisition
Accession
2021.06-13Source or Donor
Dick Hamilton, Jan HamiltonAcquisition Method
GiftCredit Line
Gift of Dick and Jan HamiltonMade/Created
Artist
Spiess-Ferris, EleanorDate made
2007Lexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Primary Object Term
DrawingNomenclature Class
ArtNomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication ObjectsLOC Thesaurus for Graphic Materials
Swans, NatureDimensions
Height
20-1/4 inWidth
20 in