Cabinet Top Desk
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 57.6 x 46.3 cm (22 11/16 x 18 1/4 in.) Original IAD Object: 68 3/4"high; 30 1/2"wide; 23 1/4"deep
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.5820
Art Historical Context
Behold the *Cabinet Top Desk*, meticulous 1941 rendering by Ferdinand Cartier, part of the esteemed Index of American Design (IAD) at the National Gallery of Art Created on paperboard measuring 57.6 x 46.3 cm (22 11/16 x 18 1/4 in.), this work captures an original American furniture piece—68 3/4 inches high, 30 1/2 inches wide, and 23 1/4 inches deep vibrant watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite. IAD, a Works Progress Administration (WPA project from the Great Depression era (19351942), commissioned artists to document everyday American crafts, preserving cultural heritage through precise, ...
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...