Candle Mold

Art Historical Context

**Candle Mold** Holger Hansen (c. 1936) is a captivating watercolor, gouache, and graphite rendering on paper, measuring 29.2 x 23.2 cm. This delicate work belongs to the National Gallery of's Index of American Design (Department: CG-W), a treasure trove of artistic documentation from the 1930s. Created as part of the Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression, Index of American Design commissioned artists like Hansen to meticulously record everyday American folk and decorative objects. Hansen's precise depiction of this traditional candle mold—likely a colonial-era tool for crafting tapers from animal fat or beeswax—highlights its functional beauty and cultural role in pre-industrial households. These molds were essential for self-sufficient communities, symbol American ingenuity and resourcefulness. Hansen's masterful use of watercolor and gouache brings vibrant texture and subtle shading to the metal form, while graphite adds fine lines for accuracy. This hybrid technique not only preserves the object's form but also revives its historical vitality, offering visitors a window into America's craft heritage. A testament to artistic preservation amid economic hardship, it reminds us how art can safeguard the stories of ordinary objects.

About the Artist

Holger Hansen · 1883–1995

Holger Hansen is an artist about whom reliable biographical information remains limited. The details of his training, nationality, dates of birth and death, and primary medium of working have not been firmly established in available art historical sources, and scholarly documentation of his career is presently sparse. The works attributed to Holger Hansen, where they have entered museum collectio...