The Missing - Holburne Museum Exhibition
In this ‘Holborne - On the Table’ commission, pioneer of contemporary British craft skills Linda Brothwell has created a playground of textures and colours in stone, wood and metalwork in response to the elaborate plinths on which Sir William Holburne displayed his collection.
Brothwell has created the missing parts: wearable pieces in silver and quartz displayed on larger sculptures of boldly-coloured marble, ebony and gold, forming playful vignettes of rare and precious materials.
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2016
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Holburne Museum, Bath UK
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Image credit: India Hobson
A marble mount is by its nature inanimate: a problem that Brothwell aims to solve with the ‘missing’ works of art that surmount these colourful bases. These precise, transformable, wearable artworks reveal her interest in the personal link between jewellery and its wearer: they ask to be touched and experienced. Perfect spheres in silver are prised apart to reveal the components of a necklace or brooch; rare crystal quartzes with metal oxide inclusions adorn plinths; unexpected geometric forms emerge from otherwise smooth surfaces. These pieces tell a playful and visual story, and reveal Brothwell’s deep appreciation and mastery of material.
Brothwell has selected rare and unusual marbles including serpentine, breche sanguine, giallo and porfido verde to recall the materials and tones that Holburne was clearly drawn to: green malachites, purple porphyries and yellow marbles designed to contrast with and elevate the works of art they displayed. The crisp, geometric forms of Brothwell’s plinths belie the complexity of their construction, creating a new composition inspired by an area of Holburne’s collection that is often overlooked. Another look in the galleries reveals the plinths that are still supporting their objects, fading into the background as the sculpture or vase draws the eye first.
