Pewter Teapot c. 1936

This drawing of a pewter teapot was created by Janet Riza, who lived from 1855 to 1995. Riza employed a graphite pencil on paper to depict the object. Pewter, an alloy of tin and other metals, was popular for tableware due to its affordability and malleability. The drawing captures the soft sheen of the metal, and its capacity to be shaped in complex, curving forms. You can see the teapot's handle, spout, and body created through labor intensive casting, soldering, and polishing. These processes, which reflect a level of skill often overlooked in functional objects, give the teapot its character. This image invites us to consider how everyday items, such as teapots, incorporate design, craft, and materiality. It challenges our ideas about art, and prompts us to see the extraordinary in the ordinary.