Jon Sauer

Jon Sauer specializes in the centuries-old technique of ornamental turning. He creates complex geometric designs with a variety of small, revolving cutters on a specialized lathe. The best lathes for ornamental turning were made during the 1800s and only a few still exist today. Sauer turns a variety of intricate scent bottles, boxes, and tops on an antique lathe and describes his technique as “a mixture of yesterday’s tooling with today’s technology.”

Text © Smithsonian American Art Museum