Artwork
The Urns, Casting Big Shells
The Urns, Casting Big Shells is an ink print by Joseph Pennell. It dates from 1916 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
The artist presses ink onto stone, then onto paper, so each print looks hand-drawn.
You see a lithograph of big seashells being melted in hot urns over flames. The artist presses ink onto stone, then onto paper, so each print looks hand-drawn. The fire glows bright against the dark room, making the shells look almost alive.
This print shows how industry and nature mix. The shells were once ocean treasures, now turned to liquid metal. The artist worked in 1916, when factories were growing fast.
Try his prints at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
Overview
Joseph Pennell’s 1916 lithograph *The Urns, Casting Big Shells* presents a stark industrial interior where massive urns hold molten metal. The composition captures the glow of fire against a dimly lit space, emphasizing the transformation of large seashells into liquid form. The work reflects Pennell’s sustained interest in the juxtaposition of natural objects and mechanized processes.
Subject & Meaning
The image depicts a foundry scene in which enormous shells, once marine artifacts, are being melted within heated urns. By placing these organic forms within a factory setting, Pennell comments on the conversion of natural resources into industrial output, a theme resonant with the rapid expansion of manufacturing during the early twentieth century.
Technique & Style
Executed as a lithograph, the print was produced by drawing directly onto a prepared stone surface, treating it with chemicals, and then transferring ink to paper. This method yields a hand‑drawn quality in each impression, allowing subtle gradations of light and shadow that convey the flickering fire and the reflective surfaces of the molten metal.
History & Provenance
Pennell, a student of James Lambdin and Thomas Eakins and later influenced by James McNeill Whistler, was active in both the United States and Europe, focusing on architectural, landscape, and industrial subjects. *The Urns, Casting Big Shells* was created during a period of heightened industrial activity in 1916; copies of the print are held in several public collections, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Joseph Pennell (July 4, 1857 – April 23, 1926) was an American draftsman, etcher, lithographer, and illustrator for books and magazines.
