AFA 18th Anniversary

18th Anniversary 166 www.afamag.com | w ww.incollect.com Brian Weissman (b. 1976), Daniel Jewelry Casting, casting, Pasta-loving cup, 2017. Silver-plated bronze, cast and fabricated. H. 18, W. 14, D. 14 in. Courtesy of the artist. Tiffany & Co. (founded 1837), Loving cup, ca. 1888. Silver, forged, raised, repoussèd chased, and gilt. 9¼ x 6⅞ in. Museum of the City of New York; Gift of Harry Harkness Flagler (51.20.23). By the turn of the twentieth century, the loving cup had become a presentation form used for all manner of occasions, from theater to the racecourse. The exuberant decoration of this vessel is typical of silver embellishment in the late nineteenth century, and it may have been a wedding gift. The equally elaborate Pasta-loving cup was fashioned from a variety of dry pasta shapes that were formed in wax, cast in bronze, and then silver-plated. Metalsmith Brian Weissman sourced much of his raw material from a Brooklyn-based pasta company. For the artist, the pasta shapes speak to the floral motifs used on historical examples of loving cups and to the handcrafted attention that went into creating them. He thought too of the macaroni art created by children: to express love at a fundamental level, the artist strove to “regress” to child-like language and materials and thereby create a work that can be appreciated on multiple levels. The playful result celebrates youthful enthusiasm and culinary pleasures while also exemplifying undeniable technical prowess.