Hand and Lizzard

Currently not on view

Hand and Lizzard

2003-2004

Lizbeth Stewart (American, 1948–2013)

Lizbeth Stewart was a ceramic artist who lived and worked in Philadelphia and taught at the city’s University of the Arts. Hand and Lizzard, a mise-en-scène, or tableau, exemplifies Stewart’s intriguing and often disconcerting work. The relationship between the lizard, baring its teeth and appearing poised to strike, and the human hand is unclear, presented as a riddle for the viewer to decipher. Stewart’s visual cues are mysterious, encouraging inventive interpretations. We are left to decide if Hand and Lizzard is perhaps about fatal attraction, “biting the hand that feeds you,” or possibly addresses the constant battle waged between man and nature.

Stewart drew on the traditions of pre-Columbian and Mexican folk art, which often use animals to convey symbolism and allegory. She also found inspiration in the animals created by the Meissen factory in Germany, especially those modeled by Johann Joachim Kändler (1706–1775).

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Hand and Lizzard

Date:

2003-2004

Artist:

Lizbeth Stewart (American, 1948–2013)

Medium:

Porcelain, glaze, underglaze, china paint

Dimensions:

Hand: 6 1/2 × 10 × 17 inches (16.5 × 25.4 × 43.2 cm) Lizzard: 6 1/2 × 8 × 16 inches (16.5 × 20.3 × 40.6 cm)

Classification:

Sculpture

Credit Line:

Gift of Helen Williams Drutt English and H. Peter Stern in honor of the artist, 2012

Accession Number:

2012-170-1a,b

Geography:

Made in Yardley, Pennsylvania, United States, North and Central America

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Currently not on view