Prize Amphora (2026) by Rachel Feinstein was produced at Factum Arte from a paper model supplied by the artist's studio. The work is a contemporary interpretation of a Greek amphora dating to around 363 BCE, attributed to the Painter of the Wedding Procession and now in the collection of the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. The original vessel was awarded as a prize at the Panathenaic Games and depicts Athena and Nike, with Nike crowning a victorious boxer.

The production at Factum Arte began with the paper model sent by the artist. This model provided the basis for developing the cutting files and establishing the different elements and layers that make up the figures. Once the files were finalised, each individual component was laser-cut from 1 mm-thick copper sheet.

Copper was selected for its colour and appearance, allowing the material of the finished work to retain the character of the artist's original model. Before the individual pieces were removed from the sheets, the copper was passed through an elevated printer, which printed the figures in black directly onto the surface. This process allowed the printed imagery to remain integrated with the material rather than being applied as a separate layer at a later stage.

The numerous cut elements were then assembled onto a structural framework made from 6 mm-thick copper. The framework was designed to support the different layers that form each figure while maintaining the spatial relationships established in the artist's model. Both the base and the supporting structure were conceived to follow the contours of a real amphora, and deliberately given a degree of irregularity so that it would not appear mechanically perfect—evoking the character of an object made by hand, with the subtle variations and imperfections associated with an artisan's work.

The amphora-shaped base was digitally modelled in 3D before being used to create a silicone mould. Acrylic resin was then cast into the mould and dyed throughout to achieve the appearance of ceramic. Rather than simply applying colour to the surface, the pigment was incorporated into the material itself, giving the base a more convincing ceramic character.

The final stage of the production involved recreating the lines that define the surface of the amphora. These were applied using copper foil, introducing a further material relationship between the vessel and the copper figures mounted above it.

The finished sculpture brings together a range of analogue and digital processes: a handmade paper model, digital modelling and preparation of cutting files, laser-cutting, direct printing onto copper, hand assembly, mould-making, casting, and the application of copper foil. The combination of these techniques allowed the physical qualities of Feinstein's model to be translated into a complex, layered object while retaining the visual references to the ancient amphora that inspired it.