Stephanie Jaffe
Rose, 2026
Mixed media bas-relief wall plaque with buttons, beads, upcycled ceramics and found objects.
VIntage silver frame.
VIntage silver frame.
50.8 x 34.3 x 7.6 cm
20 x 13 1/2 x 3 in.
20 x 13 1/2 x 3 in.
Further images
Rose is a mixed-media bas-relief wall plaque inspired by vintage British Edwardian jewelry and the aesthetic of William Morris. At first glance, the vine-covered silver-framed work appears beautiful and ornamental,...
Rose is a mixed-media bas-relief wall plaque inspired by vintage British Edwardian jewelry and the aesthetic of William Morris. At first glance, the vine-covered silver-framed work appears beautiful and ornamental, filled with vintage porcelain flowers in purple and white accented by green leaves—the colors of both Wimbledon and the British suffragette movement. At its center is Rose Lamartine Yates, a leading figure in the Wimbledon suffrage movement, depicted wearing a militant suffragette sash while being force-fed by a prison doctor.
Below Rose, a ceramic cat and mouse reference the tensions created by the Cat & Mouse Act of 1913. Vintage matchboxes allude to the acts of arson employed by some suffragettes as a political strategy, while textual details reveal the harsh realities endured by imprisoned women, contrasting sharply with the decorative nature of the materials.
The work incorporates buttons, beads, and ceramic figurines—materials historically coded as feminine—to construct a visual language of resistance. These collected and upcycled elements shift from decorative to declarative, transforming the vernacular of women's craft into an instrument of political expression.
Below Rose, a ceramic cat and mouse reference the tensions created by the Cat & Mouse Act of 1913. Vintage matchboxes allude to the acts of arson employed by some suffragettes as a political strategy, while textual details reveal the harsh realities endured by imprisoned women, contrasting sharply with the decorative nature of the materials.
The work incorporates buttons, beads, and ceramic figurines—materials historically coded as feminine—to construct a visual language of resistance. These collected and upcycled elements shift from decorative to declarative, transforming the vernacular of women's craft into an instrument of political expression.