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Nine Tantric Amulets for Jasper Johns

Smithsonian American Art Museum and its Renwick Gallery

Object Details

Artist
William Harper, born Bucyrus, OH 1944
Luce Center Label
Artists often borrow from each other, and each time they do they contribute to the deep history of an idea or piece. This necklace is from a series called Jasper’s Variations---a tribute to contemporary painter Jasper Johns. William Harper borrows the crosshatched pattern in the center medallion from Johns’s Between the Clock and the Bed (1981), which itself was inspired by a 1940-42 self-portrait by Edvard Munch with the same title. The various charms are based on Hindu or Buddhist tantric scriptures, which deal with meditation, sexual techniques, and other rituals. Harper emphasizes the creative bond he feels with Johns by incorporating their names, side by side, in the center of this piece.
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Frances and Sydney Lewis
Copyright
© 1994, William Harper
1994
Object number
2002.11
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Decorative Arts-Jewelry
Crafts
Medium
gold cloisonné enamel on fine silver with 24k, 22k, 18k, and 14k gold, pearls, garnet, tourmaline, and peridot
Dimensions
length: 24 in. (61 cm)
See more items in
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department
Renwick Gallery
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Topic
Figure\fragment\hand
Figure\fragment\skull
Animal\insect\butterfly
Homage\Johns, Jasper
Record ID
saam_2002.11
Metadata Usage (text)
Not determined
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/vk7a46ccf6d-f25c-4200-bebf-90d41c61903e

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