La Tarantella Needle Box, also called The Small Tarantella - George Baxter

Gift of Henry M. Huxley

"La Tarantella Needle Box, also called The Small Tarantella" by George Baxter (c. 1850) Box with color wood engraving on ivory wove paper, laid down on box lid, and with ten small boxes, each with color wood engraving on ivory wove paper laid down on box lid, on the inside.

Commentary

"La Tarantella Needle Box, also called The Small Tarantella" by George Baxter (c. 1850) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. The print-based method rewards close viewing, where line, texture, and contrast do most of the e xpressive work. Themes to notice include etching. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. George Baxter is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: George Baxter English, 1804-1867. The work is cataloged within a England cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as etching, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Box with color wood engraving on ivory wove paper, laid down on box lid, and with ten small boxes, each with color wood engraving on ivory wove paper laid down on box lid, on the inside) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (10.5 × 15 × 1.5 cm (4 3/16 × 5 15/16 × 5/8 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include etching. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/61601

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data