Pitcher

Art Historical Context

This vibrant watercolor rendering of a *Pitcher* by Giac Capelli, created around 1939, captures the elegant simplicity of an everyday American object from the Index of American Design. Measuring 41 x 37.7 cm, the work meticulously depicts a vessel standing 10 3/8 inches high with a 5-inch top diameter and 5 /16-inch base, its graceful proportions and functional form likely rooted in early American craftsmanship. As part of the Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the Great Depression, the Index of American Design (1935–1942) employed artists like Capelli to document the nation's folk and decorative arts through precise, colorful illustrations. This initiative preserved vanishing traditions of vernacular design, from pottery to textiles, ensuring cultural heritage endured economic hardship. Capelli's masterful use of watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paperboard brings the pitcher's subtle glazes, contours, and textures to life with photographic accuracy and artistic flair. Housed in the National Gallery of Art, it invites visitors to appreciate how ordinary household items embodied American ingenuity and aesthetic sensibility.

About the Artist

Giacinto Capelli · 1855–present

**Giacinto Capelli** (American, active c. 1935–1942) contributed significantly to the documentation of American material culture through his precise watercolor renderings as part of the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). Little is known about his early life or formal training, which remains sparsely documented, though his expertise in wat...