Joseph Cornell
American, 1903­1972
Soap Bubble Set
1948	
Stained, glazed wooden box for a kinetic assemblage
of velvet, wood, clippings, glass, painted wooden ball, glass marbles, cordial glass, coral, driftwood, and clay pipe
22.5 x 33 x 9.5 cm
Lindy and Edwin Bergman Joseph Cornell Collection, 1982.1861

Cornell made his boxes out of curious things he found in antique stalls, book shops, dime stores, and even on the street. He was particularly interested in crystal and glass, maps, photos of movie stars, and stuffed birds. In his basement studio he carefully selected objects from his collection to assemble in the boxes that he built.

This box shows his love of astronomy. The soap bubbles above the pipe are actually marbles and represent the planets. In ancient times, people believed that the planets were attached to a crystal sphere that rotated around the earth.