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Cowboy Boots

Smithsonian American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery

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
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
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Topic
Landscape\desert
Landscape\weather\cloud
Landscape\celestial\star
Landscape\plant\cactus
Record ID
saam_1981.107A-B
Metadata Usage (text)
Not determined
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk7c6706278-9a9c-4411-a1d6-95f4f93ae005

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There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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