It’s
finished and on it’s way to London You can view a short video clip of it here http://youtu.be/o6vp9mpIKIw . We set out to educate and inform
people about copper wheel engraving and how a piece like this is done, the time
involved and the thought that goes into it. The subject was the Portland Vase,
an iconic ceramic piece that Wedgwood adopted as their own and features 6
figures from ancient mythology. Many people have done their version of it as
the imagery is beautifully ornate but no one (to my knowledge) had dared to
modernise it, to take the same figures and re-tell the story in 2014.
The vase is
generally seen as having 2 separate stories – one side is love story, the other
a depiction of the afterlife or heaven, where the inhabitants are relaxed in a
carefree environment. These are everyday themes that you would still come
across today and so, should easily withstand modernising.
Who’s who……
Let’s look
at the individuals and the changes made to them;
The first
figure is Phelis, tip-toeing into the afterlife/scene to greet his girlfriend
Thetis. The modern equivalent is a casually dressed guy in a t-shirt and jeans
with tattoos, Dr.Dre headphones and offering a hi-5 to his girl.Thetis is
posed facing her boyfriend and away from Poseidon, who wanted to marry her;
she’s seen reciprocating the hi-5 while clutching her snakeskin handbag (formerly
a serpent). Her clothes are street-style - boots, shorts, t-shirt and styled
with costume jewellery. Her hair is in a pony-tail with shades also holding it
in place. Poseidon is
the third figure on this side. His pose is suggestive of a more mature figure,
almost father-like assessing his daughter’s suitor. He now wears a 3-piece
suit, with one hand in a pocket, the other holding a mobile as he reads texts
(or is perhaps looking up the new boyfriend’s facebook page!). The
background alterations are minimal - a dove flies over the couple replacing the
Eros figure of the original, the architecture and foliage remains.
Rotating
the vase to the opposite side there are three more figures, all seated on rocky
pedestals – a reference to them having passed into the afterlife. The first
figure, thought to be Achilles sits with his body facing away but his head
turned to the others. He’s now dressed in jeans and logoed t-shirt and has a
baseball hat, goatie beard and key-chain. Next to him is Helen, sporting a
short jacket, jodhpurs and knee-high boots. She’s dropped her Vaio laptop bag
to pose for the camera. Her friend, Aphrodite is about to take a group
‘selfie’, capturing herself and her friends. She’s dressed in a mini skirt and
layered t-shirts with a short, cropped hairstyle. Her t-shirt is printed with
‘MMXIV’, that’s 2014 in roman numerals.
I mentioned
previously that the faces below the handles presented an opportunity to
introduce some people from popular culture. These aren’t portraits as such,
just a ‘likeness’ of these individuals done with a combination of diamond point
and copper wheel – 3 hrs max. The first guy is Guy Martin, professional road
racer and TV documentary maker. The other face is that of actor, comedian and
So far we
haven’t mentioned the base. It’s been verified by the experts that the base on
the original was added at a later date – perhaps to salvage the vase after an
accident. Its composition, both in the engraving of the Paris Paris Paris
Just to
cover some outstanding items, I’ve ‘detailed’ the figures with a combination of
polishing, diamond point and vibro (a fine carbide point with hammer action) to
finish them. The logos on their t-shirts for example are done with a delicate
touch of the diamond or vibro as it’s effectively an ink transfer you’re
engraving. I shaped out the handles, engraved some ferns onto them and bonded
them into place. They are flush with the top of the rim and sit on the shoulder
of the vase just above the 2 faces. I didn’t do a great job photographing or
videoing it – it’s raw to say the least but I was rushing to make the courier;
you’ll get the idea despite the backdrop and background noise. The finished
piece will be part of the Guild of Glass Engravers exhibition in Morley College ,
London
Ta-dah……….
So, after
hours of drawing, engraving and polishing you’ve washed your piece and it looks
well. Look closely though, are there any fine scratches you missed? Have you
signed and dated it? Are you photographing it? Should you make a rubbing of it
for your records in case you are commissioned to make another? Does it need a
plinth? Have you considered the presentation and sourced packaging and a box –
nothing will drag your work down as much as delivering it in a tatty shoe box.
Now, get it delivered and get paid.
Congratulations………now
it’s finished.
