Chopping Bowl
c. 1941
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 32.7 x 46.1 cm (12 7/8 x 18 1/8 in.) Original IAD Object: 19 7/8" long; 13" wide; 4 1/4" high
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.16583
Art Historical Context
**Chopping Bowl**, a delicate watercolor and graphite rendering by Hester Duany around 1941, captures the humble beauty of an everyday American kitchen tool. Measuring 32.7 x 46.1 cm, this work depicts a wooden chopping bowl—originally 19⅞ inches long, 13 inches, and 4¼ inches high—used for finely mincing herbs, vegetables, meats in colonial and early American households. Duany's precise depiction highlights the bowl's sturdy form, smooth curves, and subtle grain, evoking the craftsmanship of pre-industrial artisans. Created as part of the *Index of American Design*, a Works Progress Administ...
About the Artist
Hester Duany
Hester Duany (1891–1964) was an American artist best known for her meticulous renderings of traditional American folk art objects as part of the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1935 to 1942. Working out of the New York City Project, Duany contributed dozens of watercolor and graphite drawings on paperboard that captured the intrica...