This object is currently on display in room 113 as part of Sarah & Eleanor Hewitt: Designing a Modern Museum. This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions), and as such we offer a high-resolution image of it. See our image rights statement.

 

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Object Timeline

1915

  • Work on this object ended.

1916

  • We acquired this object.

2005

2013

2014

2022

2024

  • You found it!

Birdcage in the Form of the Rialto Bridge Birdcage

This is a birdcage. It is dated late 19th–early 20th century and we acquired it in 1916. Its medium is painted wood, bent metal wire, metal. It is a part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts department.

When the Hewitt sisters travelled to Europe in pursuit of objects for the museum they were creating (see photo of Sarah, Eleanor, and Amy Hewitt in a Venetian gondola), they collected items that, today, might not seem immediately relevant to a design museum—like birdcages. The European-focused Hewitt sisters acquired birdcages in various media, such as ceramics and glass. Others represent specific architecture from various locations.

This object was featured in our Object of the Week series in a post titled An exuberant birdcage.

This object was donated by Eleanor Garnier Hewitt and Sarah Cooper Hewitt. It is credited Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt.

Its dimensions are

H x W x D: 47.6 x 85.7 x 35.6 cm (18 3/4 x 33 3/4 x 14 in.)

Cite this object as

Birdcage in the Form of the Rialto Bridge Birdcage; Italy; painted wood, bent metal wire, metal; H x W x D: 47.6 x 85.7 x 35.6 cm (18 3/4 x 33 3/4 x 14 in.); Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt; 1916-19-14

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibitions Sarah & Eleanor Hewitt: Designing a Modern Museum and Hewitt Sisters Collect.

This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use page.

If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18187025/ |title=Birdcage in the Form of the Rialto Bridge Birdcage |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=16 April 2024 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>