Cabinet-top Desk
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
sheet: 40.8 × 30.8 cm (16 1/16 × 12 1/8 in.) Original IAD Object: 101"x42"x23"
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.5401
Art Historical Context
Behold the *Cabinet-top Desk*, meticulous 1937 rendering by Ferdinand Cartier, part of the esteemed Index of American Design (IAD). Created in watercolor, colored pencil, and on paperboard (measuring 40.8 × 30.8 cm), this work vividly captures the elegant form of an original American desk standing at an impressive 101 × × 23 inches.'s drawing showcases the desk's graceful cabinet-top structure—likely a fine example of early American furniture craftsmanship—with intricate details that highlight its functional beauty and period proportions. As a product of the Federal Art Project under Preside...
About the Artist
Ferdinand Cartier
Ferdinand Cartier is an artist whose historical record remains limited. No confirmed birth or death dates have been established, and his national origin and training background are not documented in surviving sources, making it difficult to place him within any specific artistic tradition or school. Cartier's presence in museum collections, with close to fifty works attributed to him, points to a...