Skip to main content

Crocodile-string: C.11-2017

Object information

Current Location: In storage

Titles

Crocodile-string

Maker(s)

Ceramicist: Jameson, Kerry

Entities

Categories

Description

Earthenware, modelled and decorated with slip, colours, glaze, lustre and string.

Square humanoid figure with large bird-like head and crocodile mouth. The clay surface has been beaten and covered in red and brown colours over copper lustre, giving an illusion of bronze. The torso is upright and seated with short folded legs and very thin arms held loosely to the side. The head is large and rounded, partially covered in white, with two lidded eyes turned on their sides. Long, pointed, red-brown jaws emerge vertically from the top of the head, open to reveal uneven white teeth and a red tongue. Thick hemp-like string is tied tightly around the neck and across the head through the jaws. The right wrist and left elbow are wound with thinner string.

Notes

History note: Bought from the Marsden Woo gallery, with the Dr John Shakeshaft Fund.

Legal notes

Bought with the Dr John Shakeshaft Fund, 2017.

Measurements and weight

Depth: 15.5 cm
Height: 57 cm
Width: 26 cm

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Bought (2017-04-24) by Marsden Woo Gallery

Dating

21st Century, Early
Production date: AD 2016 : marked

Note

Kerry Jameson studied ceramic design at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, graduating in 1992, and completed an MA at the Royal College of Art in 2009. She now lives and works in Singapore. Her drawings, paintings and ceramic sculptures are informed by her passion for the European arts and the spiritual persuasions behind them. The ceramic works are crafted from red and white earthenware, with paint, gesso, textiles, coral and found objects applied; they are freighted with strangeness, drawing the viewer into a beguiling perceptual experience. This piece is part of a body of work which takes the prehistoric representations of the Lascaux caves as a starting point. The eyes give these strange figures life, while the unexpected mix of materials and noose-like string tied around the neck, together with the blend of animal forms and the imbalanced body, is strangely discomforting.

Components of the work

Decoration composed of mixed media

Materials used in production

Earthenware

Techniques used in production

Modelling : Earthenware, modelled and decorated with slip, colours, glaze, lustre and string.

Inscription or legends present

  • Text: KAJ / 2016
  • Location: Underside of base
  • Method of creation: Inscribed
  • Type: Mark

References and bibliographic entries

Related exhibitions

Identification numbers

Accession number: C.11-2017
Primary reference Number: 216122
Entry Form Number: 1330
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Wednesday 7 June 2017 Updated: Wednesday 15 July 2020 Last processed: Wednesday 13 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Crocodile-string" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/216122 Accessed: 2024-12-18 15:59:15

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/216122 |title=Crocodile-string |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-12-18 15:59:15|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

API call for this record

To call these data via our API (remember this needs to be authenticated) you can use this code snippet:

https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/api/v1/objects/object-216122

Sign up for updates

Updates about future exhibitions and displays, family activities, virtual events & news. You'll be the first to know...