Cuir Bouilli | 2015

Brooch

copper  ·  enamel  ·  walnut  ·  stainless steel  ·  cow vertebrae

In reverence of the medieval technique cuir bouilli, where leather is boiled and stretched to create a rigid form, a sheet of copper is crafted to mimic leather. After being meticulously chased, etched, and enameled over, the copper sheet is riveted between a cow vertebrae and a walnut frame. Is the piece more valuable because of the laborious hand work, or less valuable because of its lack of authenticity?