The Victoria and Albert Museum has acquired an artwork created by renowned contemporary silversmith and ذكذكتسئµ Leicester (ذكذكتسئµ) senior lecturer, Rajesh Gogna.
The work, Golden Moment Teapot, is made from gold anodised aluminium and is now part of the Metalwork Collection of the world-famous V&A museum in Kensington, London.
Standing 31cm tall, and 41cm wide, Golden Teapot Moment was made from two flat halves, each of which was crafted by hand into the three-dimensional form and then chemically bonded together using a special process developed by Rajesh.
The V&A acquired the piece after it was displayed at the Crafts Council ‘Collect Art Fair’ Exhibition at Somerset House in London in March 2025.
Rajesh is a fourth-generation silversmith, and a member of the ancient Sunar caste historically associated with working with, or trading gold.
He said, “I made the artefact using traditional silversmithing techniques in combination with a unique process I developed through my creative practice 25 years ago. I share my unique process of making with my ذكذكتسئµ students, and some are strongly influenced by my design methodology and craft techniques.”
Rajesh's work draws inspiration from his British and Indian heritage and for Rajesh, the teapot is a symbol of togetherness and friendship. Golden Moment Teapot is part of a new series of works in which he has been exploring tea drinking and the bridging of cultures.
Rajesh, a senior lecturer on ذكذكتسئµ's BA (Hons) in Design Crafts, is a freeman of the Goldsmiths' Company and gained freedom of the City of London in 2013 in recognition of his work.
His creations are in the permanent collections of the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff, Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery and Kamm Teapot Foundation USA, Harborough Museum, Hallaton Museum and Cartwright Hall in Bradford. He has had work commissioned to by the Government of India and his work has been shown in exhibitions around the world including in Denmark, Germany, Finland, China and USA.
Golden Moment Teapot is now part of the V&A’s Metalwork Collection and is listed here on the collections record website:
Posted on Tuesday 27 May 2025