Blacksmith's Measuring Wheel
c. 1939
Medium
watercolor, gouache, and pen and ink on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 28 x 22.5 cm (11 x 8 7/8 in.) Original IAD Object: 12" high; handle: 6 1/8" long; wheel: 5 1/8" in diameter
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.8728
Art Historical Context
John Swientochowski'sBlacksmith's Measuring* (c. 1939) captures the humble yet essential tool of the American blacksmith trade in vivid detail. Rendered in watercolor, gouache, and pen and ink on paper (28 x 22.5 cm), this meticulously depicts a 12-inch-high wooden wheel device with a 6⅛-inch handle and 5⅛-inch diameter wheel, for precise measurements in forging metal. Swientochowski's precise lines and layered colors highlight the tool's functional elegance, from its turned wooden components to practical engravings. Created as part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a WPA Federal Art Pro...