Jug

Art Historical Context

This delicate rendering of a jug captures the quiet beauty of everyday American craftsmanship. Created between 1940 and 1941 by artists Sara Garfinkel and John Tarantino, the work measures 44.5 by 35.5 centimeters and reproduces an original vessel thirteen inches high with a six-inch base diameter. Executed in watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paperboard, the drawing belongs to the Index of American Design, a remarkable archive now housed at the National Gallery of Art. The Index was a Depression-era initiative under the Works Progress Administration that employed hundreds of artists to document historic American decorative arts with exceptional precision. By recording objects such as this jug, the project preserved visual evidence of regional traditions and handcraft techniques that might otherwise have been lost. Garfinkel and Tarantino’s careful layering of transparent washes and fine pencil work conveys both the object’s form and the subtle textures of its surface, transforming a utilitarian item into a lasting record of American material culture. Today the drawing serves as both artwork and historical document, inviting viewers to appreciate the skill of the original maker alongside the artistry of its twentieth-century interpreters.