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Swid Powell Postmodern Skyscraper Bowl Silver-Plate, 1990s

About the Item

A designer Postmodern period sterling silver-plate bowl by American artist and architect Richard Meier for Swid Powell Co., made in Italy, 1992. Piece is formally known as the "Skyscraper" bowl. Marked "Swid Powell", "RM", "Made in Italy", "Silver Pate", on bottom as shown in images #12 and 13 (hard to read.) Great as a standalone piece or as a vide-poche catchall for a table, desk, vanity, etc. Dimensions: 2.13" H x 5.94" Diameter. About Swid Powell: Well known for its promotion of fashionable ceramics, silverware, and glass by leading international, generally Postmodernist, architect-designers the New York-based Swid Powell company was founded by Nan Swid and Addie Powell, both of whom had a background in contemporary furniture. They had worked for Knoll International, a firm well known for its production of Modernist classics, Swid as a director of product development, Powell as vice-president of sales. Amongst the nine architects involved in preliminary discussions were former Modernist Philip Johnson, Stanley Tigerman, and Richard Meier, all of whom were enthusiastic about designing for a wider public than those able to commission buildings by fashionable designers. In 1984 the first Swid Powell collection of porcelain dinnerware, silverware, and glass was launched, proving highly commercial in design-conscious retail outlets. Those designing for Swid Powell included many of the celebrity ‘names’ associated with international design, such as Arata Isosaki, Ettore Sottsass, Zaha Hadid, George Sowden, Robert Venturi, and Michael Graves. The diversity of references, historical and populist, found in Postmodernism is exemplified in work for Swid Powell. Richard Meier's decorative detailing drew on his familiarity with the early 20th century work of the Wiener Werkstätte and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Robert and Trix Haussman, on the other hand, referenced the ears of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse in the grinding mechanisms of their Swid Powell pepper grinder. Michael Graves was also keen to explore color symbolism in his work for the company. In his Little Dripper drip-filter coffee pot (1986), for example, the terracotta glazed base represented heat and the color of coffee and the blue wavy lines signified water. The company continued to develop its fashionable profile in the late 20th century.

Creator:

Richard Meier (Designer),Swid Powell (Maker)

Dimensions:

Height: 2.13 in (5.42 cm)Diameter: 5.94 in (15.09 cm)

Style:

Post-Modern (Of the Period)

Materials and Techniques:

Silver Plate

Place of Origin:

Italy

Period:

1990-1999

Date of Manufacture:

circa 20th Century

Condition:

Wear consistent with age and use. - Very Good condition as shown in images. - Some wear to underside/bottom as shown.

Seller Location:

New York, NY

Reference Number:

1stDibs: LU1314225190472

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Shop All Swid Powell

Swid Powell

The New York City–based tableware company Swid Powell produced some of the most distinctive china and silver of the 1980s in collaboration with international architects and designers. It enjoyed renewed attention in 2007, when the Yale University Art Gallery mounted the exhibition “The Architect’s Table: Swid Powell and Postmodern Design,” celebrating the donation to its collection of the company’s papers.

Swid Powell was established in 1982 by Nan Swid and Addie Powell, who met while working at the modernist furniture company Knoll. Their idea was to translate the aesthetics of postmodern design from the skyscraper to the dining table, and they brought into their preliminary discussions nine prominent architects. Among these were Philip Johnson, Stanley Tigerman and Richard Meier, all of whom expressed enthusiasm about making their designs accessible beyond the small group with the funds to commission buildings from them.

The first Swid Powell collection was launched in 1984, accompanied by a bold, graphic print campaign in keeping with the era’s advertising trends. The company’s best-known collaboration was with Robert Venturi’s Philadelphia-based firm, Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, whose patterns — particularly the floral design Grandmother inspired by a tablecloth Venturi saw at the home of a colleague's grandmother — adorned Swid Powell porcelain as well as furniture and clothing.

The firm also partnered with architect Richard Meier, whose geometric designs were inspired in part by those of Josef Hoffmann and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Swid Powell also worked with Arata Isosaki, Ettore Sottsass, Zaha Hadid and George Sowden, creating products that incorporated the bright, saturated colors and popular and historical references, like Classical columns, that animated postmodern design in the 1980s. The Chicago Blue china pattern designed for Swid Powell by the firm Gwathmey Siegel references the distinctive patterns of Frank Lloyd Wright’s leaded glass windows. As you will see in the examples below, Swid Powell continued to produce fine, fashionable homewares throughout the decade and beyond.