Butter Mold
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 29.3 x 22 cm (11 9/16 x 8 11/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 5" high; 3 3/4" wide
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.8985
Art Historical Context
Behold the delicate watercolor and graphite rendering of a *Butter Mold* by Wilbur M. Rice, created around 1937. This intimate study, measuring 29.3 x 22 cm, captures a humble wooden tool—originally 5 inches high and 3¾ inches wide—used in American kitchens to shape and imprint butter with decorative patterns. Rice's precise lines and subtle washes bring to life the mold's carved motifs, evoking the tactile world of everyday craftsmanship. Part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration, this work documents vanishing folk objects from ...
About the Artist
Wilbur M Rice
**Wilbur M. Rice (1909–1974)** was an American artist best known for his meticulous contributions to the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression. Active primarily between 1935 and 1942, Rice produced detailed watercolor, gouache, and graphite renderings of everyday American folk objects, tools, toys, and crafts. Thes...