Ron Pippin: “The Relic Sheath” – Mixed Media Sculpture (15.5″)

Americal Eclectic is proud to feature a hauntingly beautiful work by the late California master Ron Pippin. Measuring approximately 15.5 inches, this leather sheath is a prime example of Pippin’s “Visual Prayers.” Utilizing hand-stitched leather, aged twine, and found industrial elements, Pippin creates an artifact that feels like a survival tool from an archaic civilization.

Pippin’s work—which resides in the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden—dwells in the space between the scientific and the mystical. This sheath does not hold a weapon, but rather an idea: the “dark material” of the human psyche transformed into an object of clarity and grace. It is a “biomechanoid” relic that challenges the viewer to imagine its impossible history.

Specifications:

• Artist: Ron Pippin (1943–2019)

• Medium: Hand-stitched leather, wax, twine, and found artifacts.

• Dimensions: Approx. 15.5″ L

• Provenance: Estate of the Artist / California Assemblage Tradition

• Condition: Intentionally distressed (Artist’s original intent)

Artists Bio