Silver Tankard c. 1936

Editor: Here we have "Silver Tankard," a pencil drawing made around 1936 by Isidore Steinberg. It depicts, unsurprisingly, a tankard. What I find immediately striking is the detail and precision rendered simply with pencil. What's your take on this piece? Curator: It's interesting to consider this drawing not just as a representation, but as evidence of labor. Steinberg meticulously records the form, surface, and even reflections of this tankard. The process of translating a three-dimensional object into a two-dimensional drawing forces us to acknowledge the hand that guided the pencil. Is this simply documentation or is it also a commentary on craft and production during that time? Editor: That's a great point, seeing it as labor frozen in time. The addition of that smaller, almost diagrammatic sketch in the corner really reinforces the sense of design and meticulous planning behind it. Do you think the medium, pencil, adds or detracts from its impact? Would it be different as a photograph, or a fully realized silver object? Curator: The pencil, in its simplicity, democratizes the object. Silver suggests wealth and privilege, while pencil, a more accessible medium, transforms the tankard into a reproducible image. The drawing then becomes a design object, potentially circulated widely for production purposes or a craftsman’s catalog. It moves beyond its singular preciousness. Consider the context - 1936 and potentially coming out of the depression. Access to precious materials may have been limited. Editor: So, it becomes more about the *idea* of the tankard rather than the tankard itself. I'm starting to see it as almost a blueprint rather than a piece of art. Curator: Exactly. We have to challenge those traditional boundaries, seeing it less as an aesthetic object and more as a document embedded in a specific system of making. This piece forces us to reconsider what we consider "art" and where design and craft intersect. Editor: This reframes my view. It is less about admiring the silver and more about appreciating the act of its creation and its place within a broader economy. Thanks for your perspective! Curator: My pleasure. Seeing art through the lens of materials and production reveals so much about the societies that produce them.