Object Details
Artist
William Wilhelmi, born Garwin, IA 1939
Luce Center Label
Bill Wilhelmi designed this pair of porcelain cowboy boots specifically for the Renwick Gallery show, American Porcelain: New Expressions in an Ancient Art. The artist was inspired to begin casting ceramic cowboy boots after seeing a collection of authentic footwear. This pair of boots is unique because it was the first that Wilhelmi modeled in porcelain. They were cast from an actual pair and as a result exhibit signs of aging in the creased porcelain at the ankles. The wing tips on the toes of the shoes, as well as the heels, are glazed with a gold luster, and the boots are airbrushed with an evening desert landscape.
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist
Date
1980
Object number
1981.107A-B
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Decorative Arts-Ceramic
Crafts
Medium
slip-cast, airbrushed-underglaze and glazed porcelain with gold lusters
Dimensions
left boot: 14 1/4 x 10 1/4 x 4 in. (36.2 x 26.0 x 10.2 cm) right boot: 14 1/4 x 10 1/4 x 4 1/8 in. (36.2 x 26.0 x 10.5 cm)
See more items in
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department
Renwick Gallery
On View
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 4th Floor, 54A
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Luce Foundation Center, 4th Floor
Data Source
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Topic
Landscape\desert
Landscape\weather\cloud
Landscape\celestial\star
Landscape\plant\cactus
Link to Original Record
Record ID
saam_1981.107A-B