Andiron (one of pair)
c. 1938
Medium
graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 30.5 x 22.2 cm (12 x 8 3/4 in.) Original IAD Object: 13 1/2" high; 7 3/8" wide
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.8259
Art Historical Context
This delicate graphite drawing on paperboard captures one of a pair of andirons—traditional metal fireplace supports designed to hold logs—crafted in an earlier American style. Created around 1938 by artist Salvatore Borrazzo, the work measures 30.5 x 22.2 cm (12 x 8 3/4 in.), faithfully rendering an original object that stands 13 1/2 inches high and 7 3/8 inches wide. Borrazzo's precise lines and subtle shading highlight the andiron's functional form and decorative details, evoking the craftsmanship of colonial or early American hearths. As part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a Feder...
About the Artist
Salvatore Borrazzo
Salvatore Borrazzo is an artist whose biographical details are only partially recoverable from the available historical record. His dates, precise nationality, training, and the full extent of his artistic production have not been firmly established in the scholarly sources currently accessible, placing him among the many artists whose names appear in collection and exhibition records but whose li...