Spirit Level
| Artist | Joseph Cornell (American, 1903–1972) |
|---|---|
| Title | Spirit Level |
| Date | 1969 |
| Medium | Wood, glass, marble, cork, sand, and and paper |
| Dimensions | Overall: 8 7/8 x 14 15/16 x 3 1/4 in. (22.5 x 37.9 x 8.3 cm) |
| Credit Line | Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 70.54 |
| This artwork is currently on view. | |
A rectangular wooden box with a glass front. Inside are two drinking glasses suspended from two horizontal silver rods adorned with a yellow cork ball. An astronomical diagram is pasted on the back of the box's interior and the floor of the box is a piece of driftwood and a small starfish.
Cornell began making assemblages contained in boxes in 1936. Composed of found objects, they reflect his interests in old master painting, popular culture, astronomy, and the natural world. In Spirit-Level, a yellow cork ball placed before an astronomical map may symbolize the moon, while the yellow marbles in the cordial glasses suggest stars. Here, Cornell meditates on the moon’s dominance over ocean tides, represented by the starfish, driftwood, and sand.
Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.
Request this image
The Eskenazi Museum of Art provides images of its collection, free of charge, upon request.
This artwork is under copyright protection. You can request the image and it will be emailed to you when the request is complete.
Cite this page
"Spirit Level | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=70.54