Box

This box is an outstanding example of the work of Elizabeth Copeland, the leading American enamellist of her time. It displays Copeland’s bold, expressive, and intentionally course style that self-consciously references medieval enamels. After studying at the Cowles Art School with the prominent metalsmith and enamellist Laurin H. Martin and working briefly at Boston’s Handicraft Shop, Copeland established her own studio and went on to a long and distinguished career as a central and influential figure in the American Arts and Crafts Movement. As early as 1903 Copeland was exhibiting her work to widespread acclaim, and the June 1903 issue of The Craftsman reports, "Miss Copeland’s work shows great vigor and simplicity of treatment and a style quite her own." Her original and idiosyncratic metalsmithing and enameling references medieval objects as well as the work of her teachers and contemporaries, yet is never derivative. She and her oeuvre speak eloquently about the opportunities the Arts and Crafts Movement afforded women to develop and express their artistic vision and shape taste and aesthetic sensibilities.