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Accession #	1999.40.11a-c
Designer	Michael Graves
Manufacturer	Alessi
Title	Kettle with Bird-Shaped Whistle
Date	Designed 1985
Medium	Stainless steel, polyamide
Dimensions	8 3/4 x 10 x 8 5/8 in. (22.2 x 25.4 x 21.9 cm)
Marks	Incised on bottom of kettle: "ALESSI / INOX 18/10 [slash between '18' & '10'] / ITALY"
Credit Line	Gift of Alessi S.p.A.
Location	Visible Storage: Case 18, Shelf N (Contemporary Design)
Description	(a)Kettle (b) lid (c) whistle. (a) Kettle: cylindrical form tapering upwards to opening at top with a flat base and decorated with near base with a horizontal band of raised dots rings. Cylindrical, protruding spout, attached to side. Rounded arch handle comprised of thin steel tube attached to kettle just above spout on one side and just below opening on opposite side; two-thirds of handle sheathed in a thick light-blue polyamide tube with molded bumps on underside forming a hand grip; adjacent to this grip at both ends are a small black disk and round red ball made of polyamide. (b) Fitted lid: dome shaped topped by a spherical black polyamide finial. (c) Whistle or stopper made of red polyamide; lower cylindrical section fits snuggly into mouth of kettle, upper section molded into shape of songbird alighting atop an arch. CONDITION: Excellent.

Curatorial Remarks: Founded in 1921, the Italian housewares company Alessi has earned a reputation for mass-producing stylish, well-made products for everyday use. During the 1980s and 1990s, famous American, French, and Italian architects such as Michael Graves, Alessandro Mendini, Aldo Rossi, and Philippe Starck worked for the firm, executing designs in a postmodernist style marked by the playful, humorous forms shown here.