Object Studies

Method

How a study is put together

Large worn metal shears lie beside a wooden ruler and paper sewing patterns on a white display.

M1

Shears, ruler and paper patterns

White display

Metal

A small glass jug containing a pale golden liquid stands on a white tabletop.

M2

Small glass jug of pale golden liquid

White tabletop

Glass

Two carved wooden drinking vessels rest on their sides in dark light.

M3

Two carved wooden vessels

Wooden surface

Wood

A pale green ceramic teapot stands on a red tabletop against a plain wall.

M4

Pale green teapot

Red tabletop

Ceramic

Each study looks at one thing for a long time and writes down what the photograph shows. The four plates above are from the catalogue: a pair of shears, a glass jug, two carved vessels and a teapot.

One subject

A study is about one object, or a set that belongs together, such as a pot and its cups. It is built around a single photograph of that subject.

One plain ground

The subject stands on one surface: a tabletop, a shelf, a display board. The label names that ground, because a red tabletop and a white one change how the same glaze reads.

Outline, then surface

Look at the whole object before any part of it: outline and proportion first, then glaze, grain or metal, then marks, chips and wear.

What can be seen

The text describes shape, surface, colour and wear as they appear. Maker, age and size are recorded only when they are known.

A closer look

One or two places repay a second look, such as a hinge, a gold band or the pivot of a pair of shears. Those are the details the study returns to.

Credits

This is sample content for the Object Studies theme. The studies were written for the demonstration; the photographs are CC0 images from the WordPress Photo Directory by the contributors below. No ownership of the objects is implied.

  • White jug with two gold bands: photograph by Bigul Malayi, CC0
  • Red enamel coffee pot and two cups: photograph by Nilo Velez, CC0
  • Shears, ruler and paper patterns: photograph by Nilo Velez, CC0
  • Pale green teapot: photograph by Bigul Malayi, CC0
  • Blue-and-white bottle with a metal lid: photograph by Bigul Malayi, CC0
  • Small glass jug of pale golden liquid: photograph by Manjil Aryal, CC0
  • Two carved wooden vessels: photograph by Mutebi Ivan Junior, CC0
  • Type: Cardo and Jost, SIL Open Font License 1.1