Horse's Head Bank
c. 1938
Medium
watercolor, gouache, pen and ink, and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 21.5 x 29 cm (8 7/16 x 11 7/16 in.) Original IAD Object: base: 2 1/2" wide; 3 5/8" long; 1/2" high; overall: 5 3/8" high; 3 7/8" long; 1 13/16" wide
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.8451
Art Historical Context
Behold the *Horse's Head Bank*, captivating 1938 rendering by Alf Bruseth, of the National Gallery of Art's Index of American Design collection. This mixed-media work on paper—employing watercolor, gouache pen and ink, and graphite—meticulously captures a charming folk art piggy bank shaped like a horse's head Measuring 21.5 29 cm overall, it vividly reproduces the original object's modest dimensions (about 13.6 cm high), showcasing the bank's glossy, sculptural form with realistic sheen and intricate details. Created during the Great Depression as part of the Federal Art Project's Index of A...
About the Artist
Alf Bruseth
Alf Bruseth (1898–1974) was born on May 10, 1898, in Silvana, Washington, a small logging community in Snohomish County. As a self-taught artist specializing in watercolor and drawings, Bruseth honed his skills independently before entering the professional art world during the Great Depression. In 1938, he submitted his portfolio to Robert Bruce Inverarity, supervisor of the Federal Art Project i...