Cup of Horn c. 1940

Cornelius Christoffels made this drawing of a cup, probably with pencil and watercolour. I can imagine the artist carefully sketching this object, looking closely at the cup and the designs upon its surface. The light blue that the artist has used feels a bit like a memory or dream of a cup rather than the cup itself. I’m reminded of Giorgio Morandi, who spent his life painting the same bottles over and over. There’s something about returning to the same image again and again, like looking for something. The cup is just the beginning, a place to start from. A jumping off point. Maybe Christoffels wanted to hold onto this cup forever, but of course, everything changes. So, he painted it! And here it is, still around, still inspiring others. What we make remains an ongoing conversation, a jumping-off point for new ideas.