Eva Zeisel (American, born Hungary, 1906-2011). <em>Baby Oil Pourer</em>, ca. 1940. Glazed earthenware, 3 1/4 x 6 x 3 in. (8.3 x 15.2 x 7.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Eva Zeisel, 85.75.3a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 85.75.3a-b_view1_bw.jpg)

Eva Zeisel (American, born Hungary, 1906-2011). Baby Oil Pourer, ca. 1940. Glazed earthenware, 3 1/4 x 6 x 3 in. (8.3 x 15.2 x 7.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Eva Zeisel, 85.75.3a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 85.75.3a-b_view1_bw.jpg)

DOWNLOAD

Baby Oil Pourer

Decorative Arts and Design

On View: Decorative Art, 4th Floor

This prototype of a vessel for pouring baby oil exemplifies both the wit and the practicality of Eva Zeisel’s designs. What does it feel like and how does it work are two questions always on her mind. In this case, though simplified and abstract, the shape wittily evokes a rabbit. The body of the vessel is meant to be held in one hand (with the baby cradled in the other) while the hand squeezes the “ears” to open the spout at the mouth and pour. The object not only feels pleasant in the hand but also performs its function well.

MAKER Eva Zeisel, American, born Hungary, 1906-2011

MEDIUM Glazed earthenware

Place Manufactured: United States

DATES ca. 1940

DIMENSIONS 3 1/4 x 6 x 3 in. (8.3 x 15.2 x 7.6 cm) (show scale)

MARKINGS no marks

SIGNATURE no signature

INSCRIPTIONS no inscriptions

COLLECTIONS Decorative Arts and Design

ACCESSION NUMBER 85.75.3a-b

CREDIT LINE Gift of Eva Zeisel

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Pink-glazed, lidded container (a) in the shape of a rabbit. The lid (b) pivoting from but not attached to the body (a), which has a round hole for filing and a small spout for pouring. CONDITION: (a) Normal wear. (b) Cork dried out. Old chip filed down at front tip of lid.

EXHIBITIONS

Vital Forms: American Art and Design in the Atomic Age, 1940-1960

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is on view in Decorative Art, 4th Floor

CAPTION Eva Zeisel (American, born Hungary, 1906-2011). Baby Oil Pourer, ca. 1940. Glazed earthenware, 3 1/4 x 6 x 3 in. (8.3 x 15.2 x 7.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Eva Zeisel, 85.75.3a-b. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 85.75.3a-b_view1_bw.jpg)

IMAGE overall, 85.75.3a-b_view1_bw.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

RECORD COMPLETENESS

Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.