Silver Teapot c. 1937

This ‘Silver Teapot’ drawing was done by Herman Bader, sometime between 1855 and 1995. It has that lovely, slightly unreal quality that technical drawings sometimes have. The kind of careful, neutral observation that, ironically, ends up feeling very personal. Look at the shading on the body of the teapot. See how the colour builds in tone, using thin layers of graphite, but also scraping back to reveal the paper beneath? There's a real sensitivity to the material here. You can really sense Bader trying to figure out how to make a flat surface appear three-dimensional. The handle, too, is carefully rendered, with a warmth and depth that contrasts with the cooler, metallic sheen of the teapot itself. It reminds me of some of the work of M.C. Escher, in the way it plays with perspective and depth. But there's also a quiet intimacy here, a sense of Bader’s personal relationship with the object he’s depicting. It’s a really beautiful piece.