Carved Forms

Nina Gaby's Carved Forms are a pair of irregularly shaped vases, each with a unique, notched lip and sculpted surface decoration. She used a strong, fine-grained clay that is able to stand up to her manipulations, from incising a design in the surface to the removal of sections of clay. Despite their small scale and decorative holes, the vases remain useful objects. These vessels highlight Gaby's interest in creating small, detailed pieces, inspired by viewing Persian miniature paintings in London's Victoria and Albert Museum.

Credit: Gift of the artist