Crucifix

Art Historical Context

Pearl Davis's *Crucifix*, created around 1939, is a detailed mixed-media rendering from the National Gallery of Art's Index of American Design. Measuring 45.8 by 35.4 cm, the work employs watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paperboard to depict a crucifix whose original object measured 18½ inches long by 14 inches wide. This precise illustration captures the form, scale, and character of the artifact with remarkable fidelity. The Index of American Design assembled thousands of such renderings in the 1930s to record America's decorative arts, folk objects, and crafts. Davis's combination of media allowed for subtle color, texture, and line work that documented the crucifix as both a religious symbol and an example of American making. These illustrations preserved visual records of objects that might otherwise have been overlooked or lost. Viewers today encounter not only a sacred motif but also evidence of 1930s documentary practice, in which artists translated three-dimensional heritage into two-dimensional studies. The result offers an intimate look at how everyday and ceremonial items were valued and recorded during that era.