Copper Shingle

Sculpture

New Museum Los Gatos

Name/Title

Copper Shingle

Entry/Object ID

2011.209

Description

A mostly square thin copper piece with a rounded top. The rounded side angles up, with two grooves in the copper. The center of the piece is bumped out slightly.

Collection

Art Collection

Cataloged By

registrar@numulosgatos.org

Made/Created

Artist Information

Artist

George Dennison

Role

Metal Smith

Artist

Frank Ingerson

Role

Metal Smith

Date made

circa 1926

Time Period

20th Century

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Shingle, Fish Scale

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Shingle

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Surface Elements

Nomenclature Class

Building Components

Nomenclature Category

Category 01: Built Environment Objects

Dimensions

Height

5/8 in

Width

6-3/4 in

Length

7-1/4 in

Condition

Overall Condition

Fair

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

George Dennison, Frank Ingerson

Notes

Artists

Person or Organization

Barrie Coate, Carol Coate

Notes

Donors

Exhibitions

The Los Gatos History Project: Uncovering Untold Stories - Phase 1

The Los Gatos History Project: Uncovering Untold Stories - Phase 2

The Los Gatos History Project: Uncovering Untold Stories - Phase 3

General Notes

Note Type

Artist’s Intent Note

Note

From Richard Mohr, 3/22/2022: This was photographed by Lisa Taft at the Coates’ in 1994 (attached). What it is is one of the shingles – an unfinished spare -- from the Ark of the Covenant (1926) built for and installed at SF’s Temple Emanu-el in 1927. Probably the other pieces of the same shape in your collection are from the Coates too, but I only have a shot of this one. The roof of the Ark is a puzzlement (see second attachment). I have not seen it firsthand. Newspaper descriptions of it say it is gold repoussé. I think your shingles show that it is actually gilt on bronze, and there was an experiment with using gold enamel (you have an example of that0 and it was rejected in favor of gilt. That’s my current conjecture.