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Commissioned by National Museums Scotland and the P&O Makower Charitable Trust, silversmith Jessica Jue designed and created 'Wave', a stunning sculptural centerpiece inspired by water.
Jessica Jue is a London-based silversmith and jeweller. Known for her sculptural aesthetic, Jessica’s practice is deeply influenced by her Chinese heritage and Austrian upbringing, in which fluid and bold designs are created.
She employs traditional techniques in silver to craft elegantly beautiful contemporary designs that have won her many accolades. Jessica completed her training at Edinburgh College of Art and Bishopsland Educational Trust, where she received extensive training from many established silversmiths.
In 2019, she became a joint recipient of the P&O Makower Trust award to create a piece of silver for National Museums of Scotland. The piece, titled Wave, now takes pride of place in the Making and Creating gallery, which celebrates innovation in contemporary decorative art.
Artist Jessica Jue with her sculpture Wave. Image: Nicola Tree
A wave crashing in the Indian Ocean
Wave began as a flat sheet of silver. Jessica adopted a variety of traditional metalworking techniques such as raising and annealing in order to achieve the initial shape of the sculpture.
With the basic structure in place, she added texture, dimension and detail through a lengthy process of chasing and repousse. Finally, she used an ancient Korean technique called Keum-Boo to add gold detailing to the finished sculpture.
Want to know more about how how Jessica Jue turned a flat sheet of silver into a finished sculpture? Head to our blog to see the the process in full.
Read more on our blog"The opportunity to work with a museum on a commissioned piece has been an incredible experience. With a flexible and experimentative brief, I was excited to create a design of my own choice, as it meant I could try new techniques and develop my skills.
I have always wanted to combine different metals and was able to explore the Korean gold fusing technique of Keum-Boo. I took inspiration from the form of a crashing wave. I have been fascinated by water and its fluidity for as long as I can remember, and this was my chance to make a statement piece inspired by its powerful movements."
The P&O Makower Trust has been supporting emerging silversmiths since 1974, with collections from the Trust’s commissions on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum (London), National Museum Wales (Cardiff), and our own National Museums Scotland here in Edinburgh. With over forty commissions being made, this remarkable Trust is responsible for helping introduce a wider audience to this age-old craft and placing some of the most renowned names within the craft into Museums at the very start of their careers.
