Cup of Horn
c. 1940
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 35.6 x 25 cm (14 x 9 13/16 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.13476
Art Historical Context
Step into the rich tradition of American folk craft with *Cup of Horn*, a meticulous rendering by artist Cornelius Christoffels, created around 1940. This watercolor and graphite drawing on paper, measuring 35.6 x 25 cm, captures elegant simplicity of a horn cup—an everyday vessel crafted from natural materials, emblematic of early American ingenuity and resourcefulness. As part of the Index of Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1935 to 1942, Christoffels work exemplifies the era's effort to document and celebrate the nation's diverse artistic her...
About the Artist
Cornelius Christoffels
Cornelius Christoffels, born in the Netherlands on April 6, 1879, was a freelance artist known for landscape painting and commercial illustration. His early life and artistic training remain sparsely documented, with no records of specific teachers or art schools. In 1922, he immigrated to the United States, settling first in Los Angeles, California, where he built a career over many years creatin...