Images(2)

The Upper Room

Dateca. 1970

Attributed to Ulysses Davis (1913-1990)

OriginAmerica, Georgia, Savannah

MediumMahogany (est), copper alloy, plastic beads, faux pearls

DimensionsOverall: 16 x 7 1/2in. (40.6 x 19.1cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1992.701.2

DescriptionStained wood, faux-pearl, and brass sculptural tower composed of abstract and naturalistic motifs arranged in six, stacked concentric circles whose diameters increase descending downwards. At the top is a finial composed of three hearts, brass chains and faux pearls mounted on a carved flower; below, a series of carved leaves and applied brass flowers; below, a circular element with six flutes, separated from an identical element but of larger diameter below by dentil-like motifs and balls arranged in a row and each capped by a faux pearl. Below, a larger diameter circular element composed of five rows of carved balls and a row of applied faux pearls. Below are seven spring-like supports, or feet, each of which are separated from the another by faux pearls. These "feet" are attached to the bottom disc which has carved wood and cast brass flowers placed in a circle around the top, carved dentil-like elements and faux pearls arranged in rows around the edge, and carved wood and cast brass flowers on the bottom separating large, faux-pearl supporting feet.
Label TextAlthough the precise source of Ulysses Davis's inspiration for this piece has not been ascertained, The Upper Room documents his general familiarity with African art and his personal concern for preserving African sculptural and decorative traditions.
Designed as a group of concentric cylinders massed one on top of the other, each of which is carved to suggest a collection of stacked discs, the piece relates to the bases of some African sculptures; in fact, the V-shaped interstices defining the individual elements in two of the cylinders are nearly identical to the bases of certain figurative sculptures from the Ivory Coast [note 1]. The shiny brass ornaments and faux pearls parallel the use of cowrie shells, beads, mirror shards, brass, and nails seen on African sculpture, decorative arts, and costumes.
The personal significance that The Upper Room and its title had for Davis is unknown, but the carved hearts on the top suggest that it may symbolize Davis's affection for ancestral artistic traditions.