Cellarette

Art Historical Context

This vibrant rendering of a *Cellarette*—a compact cabinet designed for storing wine bottles and liquor—captures the elegance of early American furniture design. Created around 1937 by artists Vincent P. Rosel Gordon Saltar, the work measures 30.4 x 22.8 cm and employs a rich mix of watercolor, gouache, graphite and pen and ink on paper. depicted piece stands 28½ inches high, 15 deep, and 15 wide, showcasing intricate details like carved panels and brass fittings typical of 18th- or early 19th-century craftsmanship. As part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1935 to 1942, this artwork exemplifies a Depression-era effort to document and preserve America's folk art and decorative heritage. IAD artists produced over 15,000 precise, colorful plates of everyday objects, from tools to furnishings, ensuring cultural artifacts were recorded amid economic hardship and modernization threats. Rosel and Saltar's meticulous technique blends fluid washes for depth with fine ink lines for accuracy, highlighting the cellarette's functional beauty and regional woodworking traditions. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's collection, this piece invites visitors to appreciate how ordinary household items embodied American ingenuity and hospitality, bridging colonial past with mid-20th-century cultural revival.