Hollow Plane
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 24.2 x 33.9 cm (9 1/2 x 13 3/8 in.) Original IAD Object: 2" high; 7 1/2" long
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.13308
Art Historical Context
**Hollow Plane** by Samuel Faigin, created around 1937, is a meticulous and graphite rendering on paper, measuring 24.2 x 33.9 cm. This delicate work captures a compact woodworking tool—a hollow plane, originally just 2 inches high and7½ inches long—used by craftsmen to shape concave surfaces in wood. Faigin's precise lines and subtle color washes highlight the tool's ergonomic form, worn patina, and functional elegance, transforming an everyday object into a study of American ingenuity. As part of the *Index of American Design* (IAD), a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project from 1935 t...