Study for Tea Pot (with Red Lid), project (Perspective)
Ettore Sottsass
Italian, born Austria. 1917–2007
1973
A careful graphite study (with self‑adhesive lettering) of a teapot in which Sottsass probes form, surface reflections, and the transformation of a household object into an architectural, sculptural idea.
The object reads like burnished chrome carved from gradations of pencil—stacked, concentric highlights and deep shadow give the teapot an uncanny, almost floating presence, while a crumpled tea bag and the printed caption “TEA POT” add a wry, domestic punctuation to the scene.
This drawing bridges industrial drawing and conceptual play, signaling Sottsass’s shift from strict functionalism toward the playful, sculptural vocabulary that would help define late‑20th‑century postmodern design.
Medium
Graphite and self-adhesive letters on paper
Dimensions
19 x 13 1/2" (48.3 x 34.3 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of The Howard Gilman Foundation
Accession
1302.2000
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
