Covered bowl

This elegantly proportioned hand-hammered copper bowl with luminous enameled decoration showcases the innovative sensibilities and refined technical skill that made Rebecca Cauman a leading force in the American Arts and Crafts movement. Although Cauman was an active and influential member of Arts and Crafts communities in both Boston and New York, relatively few extant examples of her work are known.

While working in department stores and as a designer and manufacturer of children’s dresses as a young woman, Cauman managed to study art intermittently. In 1898, 1903, and 1920 she took classes at the Massachusetts Normal Art School, where she likely studied with Laurin Hovey Martin (1875-1939), a prominent metalsmith and pioneer in the revival of enameling. Indeed, the enameled peacock on this bowl echoes Martin’s work in both technique and effect.

Beginning in 1921 Cauman devoted herself entirely to her work as an artist and designer. The same year she became a Craftsman member of the Society of Arts and Crafts, Boston, in the category of "designer" and was promoted to Master in 1924. Her work regularly received commendations from the jury of the Society of Arts and Crafts, and Cauman, who described herself as a designer and enameller in city directories, showed and sold her work through the society’s Handicraft Shop from 1921 through 1929. Together with her sister Josephine, Cauman relocated her shop from Boston to New York City in 1929, and they continued their business in New York at seven different locations until 1959. When she and Josephine incorporated Cauman, Inc. in 1930, they described their company as one that engaged "in the business of manufacturing, purchasing and selling jewelry, furniture, and metal and glass ware."

Throughout her prolific career, Cauman produced a diverse array of work, ranging from paper covered hatboxes to enameled silverware. She enjoyed much success and exhibited widely. Unlike many of the early generation of female Arts and Crafts artists, Cauman supported herself with her work. Her career and success attest to the unprecedented opportunities the Arts and Crafts movement provided for women.