Hartford Chest
c. 1936
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, pen and ink, and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 28.9 x 36.5 cm (11 3/8 x 14 3/8 in.) Original IAD Object: 18 7/8"wide x 10 1/4"long
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.4588
Art Historical Context
Step into the rich tradition of American folk art with *Hartford Chest*, a meticulously crafted rendering by artist Martin Partyka around 1936. Created as part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression, this captures the essence of a historic 17th-century painted chest from the Hartford, Connecticut region. Party's depiction preserves the chest's vibrant decorations—likely featuring bold floral motifs and geometric patterns typical of early New England furniture—originally measuring about 18⅞ inches wide by ...
About the Artist
Martin Partyka
Martin Partyka is an artist whose biographical record is sparse. No confirmed dates of birth or death have been established, and his nationality and geographic context remain unverified in the available literature. Despite this uncertainty, Partyka's surviving works — held in museum collections — indicate an active artistic practice. The number and range of pieces attributed to him suggest a work...