Billet Head
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 53.3 x 68.8 cm (21 x 27 1/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 88 3/4" long; 5 1/8" wide
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.15915
Art Historical Context
**Billet Head** by Kurt Melzer, created around 1937, is a meticulous watercolor and graphite rendering on paper measuring 53.3 x 68.8 cm. Part of the prestigious Index of American Design (IAD), this work documents a rare nautical artifact: an original wooden billet head, a streamlined carved figure once adorning the bow of American ships. Standing nearly 88 inches long and just over 5 inches wide, slender sculpture evokes the maritime heritage of early America, where such motifs symbolized protection and prowess at sea. The IAD, a New Deal-era Federal Art Project from 1935 to 1942, employed a...
About the Artist
Kurt Melzer
Kurt Melzer is an artist whose life and career remain only partially documented. The available records suggest an engagement with the visual arts, but specific details regarding his dates, nationality, training, and principal works have not been firmly established in accessible scholarly sources. Given the limitations of the historical record, a full account of Melzer's artistic formation, stylis...