Coin de chasteté [Wedge of Chastity]
![Marcel Duchamp, Coin de chasteté [Wedge of Chastity]](https://www.nationalgalleries.org/sites/default/files/styles/postcard/public/externals/41377.jpg?itok=Xs13iaX2)
About this artwork
The original version of Wedge of Chastity was made in 1954, from plaster and dental plastic, so that the work looks like a tooth set in gum. Eight bronze casts were made in 1963; this cast was made especially for Duchamp. The piece has erotic connotations, as there are 'male' and 'female' parts which fit snugly together. Duchamp originally made the piece as a gift for his wife Teeny. He later explained: 'It was my wedding present to her... We usually take it with us, like a wedding ring.'
Updated before 2020
-
artist:
-
title:Coin de chasteté [Wedge of Chastity]
-
date created:1954/63
-
materials:Bronze and dental plastic
-
measurements:5.50 x 8.50 x 4.20 cm
-
object type:
-
credit line:Bequeathed by Gabrielle Keiller 1995
-
accession number:GMA 3968
-
gallery:
-
subject:
-
glossary:
-
artwork photographed by:Antonia Reeve
Marcel Duchamp
Marcel Duchamp
Duchamp was born in France, but lived for much of his adult life in America. In 1911 he was painting in a cubist style, but he virtually stopped painting after 1912. Duchamp was intrigued by the idea that ordinary, mass-produced things could be considered as art objects in their own right. He...
