Figurehead
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 49.7 x 32.7 cm (19 9/16 x 12 7/8 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.9886
Art Historical Context
Behold the striking *Figurehead* by Joseph Goldberg, created around 1937 as part of the Index of American Design (IAD). This meticulous rendering captures a traditional wooden ship figurehead—a carved nautical ornament often depicting fierce warriors, mythical creatures, or allegorical figures mounted on vessel prows for protection and symbolism. Goldberg's work preserves this slice of American maritime heritage, the craftsmanship of colonial and early American shipbuilders. Produced under the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression, the IAD ...
About the Artist
Joseph Goldberg
Joseph Goldberg is an artist about whom the historical record offers limited documentation. With no confirmed birth or death dates and no firmly established nationality, reconstructing the arc of his training and career presents considerable challenges for researchers. The works attributed to Goldberg that have entered museum collections suggest an artist with developed technical skills, though t...