Silver Communion Plate 1935 - 1942

This silver communion plate by Ella Josephine Sterling is rendered on paper with graphite. I can almost see Sterling hunched over her drawing, carefully shading to create the illusion of light reflecting off the plate's surface. What I love about this drawing is how Sterling really dove into capturing the essence of this object. The subtle variations in tone, from the dark shadows to the bright highlights, give it a sense of depth and volume. You can almost feel the coolness of the metal. I wonder if she was interested in the minimalist aesthetic of the Shakers. But drawings like this are never just about the object itself, right? It's also about the artist's relationship to it, the time spent observing and translating what they see onto paper. This plate isn't just metal, it represents her church. I think of all the other artists who have found inspiration in the everyday, transforming ordinary things into something extraordinary.