Manuscript and Miniature
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, pen and ink, and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 30.6 x 24.2 cm (12 1/16 x 9 1/2 in.) Original IAD Object: L. OM 412; W OM 198 (?)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.3364
Art Historical Context
"Manuscript and Miniature" Albert Levone, created around 1937, is a captivating mixed-media rendering on paperboard, blending watercolor, colored pencil, and ink, and graphite Measuring just 30.6 x 24.2 cm, this intimate work exemplifies the meticulous documentation style of the Index of Design (IAD), a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) 1935 to 1942. Levone's piece captures the essence of historical American objects—likely an illuminated manuscript and a delicate miniature—preserving their intricate details for posterity. The IAD commissioned over 15,000 such a...
About the Artist
Albert Levone
Albert Levone was an American artist who contributed to the Index of American Design, the Works Progress Administration's landmark program to document the nation's decorative arts heritage through precise watercolor rendering. Active during the late 1930s and early 1940s, Levone focused his work on the material culture of the Pennsylvania German community, producing renderings of objects that incl...