Designer: Robert McKeown (1931 – 1989)

Item: Jewelry Box

Manufactured by: Robert McKeown

Country of origin: United States

Year made: 1986

Materials: Wood with resin inlays, suede interior

Dimensions: 1 ¾” x 4” x 3 ¼”

Condition: Excellent near mint

Provenance: Hanson Galleries, Houston, Texas

Description: Here is another of McKeown’s famous box designs with a linier inlay design across the lid.  Crafted from exotic woods with resin inlay, this is signed and dated on the bottom as shown.  This piece comes with its original trifold brochure that came with the box when it was sold.  It was purchased from the Hanson Galleries in Houston, Texas, which was a well-known purveyor of fine jewelry, furniture and studio crafts.  Hanson Galleries was founded in 1977 and recently closed. Although we have seen a handful of others in this general style and size, none were quite as well executed and this is the first we have seen with a documented provenance.

McKeown's pieces are among the finest examples of quality Studio American craftsmanship and design.  He was a San Francisco Bay area artist best known for his use of resin, metal and other inlays in his wood objects.  He was a graduate of the California College of Arts and Crafts and was a color theorist who won acclaim for his innovative resin inlays on a range of utilitarian objects. His work was exhibited nationally and internationally, including shows at the American Craft Museum in New York City, the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pennsylvania and the Yamaha Corporation American Craft Exhibit (1979-1980, Japan). He was a representative to the World Crafts Council Conference in Vienna in 1980. His body of work is somewhat limited because of his early death in 1989 at the age of 58.  His works are becoming increasingly well recognized for their mastery of materials and design. 

References: CA Design ‘76