Beatrice Wood USA, 1893-1998
Double Chalice, c. 1995
Signed and inscribed underneath
Turquoise glazed earthenware, double chalice
6 3/4 x 9 x 5 in
17.1 x 22.9 x 12.7 cm
17.1 x 22.9 x 12.7 cm
'Pottery for me is not a pursuit of glory, but the daily discipline of pursuing accuracy. In India it would be called my dharma. Life is dual. There is matter...
"Pottery for me is not a pursuit of glory, but the daily discipline of pursuing accuracy. In India it would be called my dharma. Life is dual. There is matter and spirit, and on cannot function completely without the other. For creativity, the spirit side, to work, the matter side must be strong enough to hold the spirit side. If the form has cracks, the spirit leaks." - I Shock Myself, p.167
This double chalice sculpture is an example of the artist's famed chalice forms. Being an associate of Annie Besant and the Theosophical Society, the artist is likely to have considered the significance of the symbol from multiple traditions. The chalice is a vessel of reception and transmission. In Christian liturgy it holds covenant and sacrifice, while in Revelation cups also mark judgment and corruption - as well as dangerous feminine power in the Whore of Babylon. Grail lore makes the chalice a source of healing and renewal. In alchemy it is the sealed vessel of transformation. In Tarot and Western esotericism it corresponds to emotion and intuition, and in Kabbalistic and pagan practice it figures the feminine presence that receives and channels divine flow. A pair of chalices suggests exchange, mirroring, and the tested balance between complementary forces.
This double chalice sculpture is an example of the artist's famed chalice forms. Being an associate of Annie Besant and the Theosophical Society, the artist is likely to have considered the significance of the symbol from multiple traditions. The chalice is a vessel of reception and transmission. In Christian liturgy it holds covenant and sacrifice, while in Revelation cups also mark judgment and corruption - as well as dangerous feminine power in the Whore of Babylon. Grail lore makes the chalice a source of healing and renewal. In alchemy it is the sealed vessel of transformation. In Tarot and Western esotericism it corresponds to emotion and intuition, and in Kabbalistic and pagan practice it figures the feminine presence that receives and channels divine flow. A pair of chalices suggests exchange, mirroring, and the tested balance between complementary forces.