Pewter Porringer
c. 1936
Medium
graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 30.8 x 23.1 cm (12 1/8 x 9 1/8 in.) Original IAD Object: 2 3/4" high; 5 1/4" in diameter
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.13798
Art Historical Context
Behold the meticulously rendered *Pewter Porringer*, a graphite drawing on paperboard created around 1936 by artist A. Zaidenberg. Measuring 30.8 x 23.1 cm (12 1/8 x 9 1/8 in.), this work captures the elegant simplicity of a small pewter bowl—originally 2 /4 inches high and5 1/4 inches in diameter—with a handle designed for practical use, evoking the everyday elegance of colonial American tableware. This piece is a gem from the Index of American Design, a WPA Federal Art Project (1935–1942) that employed artists during the Great Depression to document the nation's folk art and decorative trad...