Chair with Carved Grape Leaf Decoration and Gothic Top
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, graphite and some heightening on paper
Dimensions
overall: 61.9 x 37.1 cm (24 3/8 x 14 5/8 in.) Original IAD Object: 61 3/4"high, 22"wide, 18 1/2"deep
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.4374
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the National Gallery of, where we spotlight treasures from the Index of American Design. This watercolor and colored pencil rendering by Robert Stewart, created around 1937, meticulously captures a stately wooden chair adorned with intricate carved grape leaf decorations and distinctive Gothic top. Measuring nearly 62 x 37 cm, the drawing faithfully reproduces the original furniture piece—61¾ inches high, 22 inches, and 18½ deep—highlighting its elegant proportions and ornamental details. Part of the Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great...
About the Artist
Robert Stewart
Robert Stewart was an American artist who worked during the New Deal era, contributing to the Index of American Design — one of the most ambitious cultural documentation projects in United States history. Sponsored by the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project from 1935 to 1942, the Index employed hundreds of artists across the country to create meticulous watercolor renderings of Ame...