Pottery Jug

Art Historical Context

Behold the delicate watercolor and graphite rendering of a *Pottery Jug* by Michael J. Miceli, created around 1937. This intimate study captures a humble earthenware vessel—standing 7 inches high with a 4⅞-inch diameter at the top, including its spout—in vivid detail on a 30.6 x 23 cm sheet of paperboard. Miceli's precise lines and subtle washes highlight the jug's simple, functional form, evoking American craftsmanship from an earlier era. This artwork is a gem from the Index of American Design, a ambitious New Deal program under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1935 to 1942. During the Great Depression, over 200 artists documented thousands of folk art objects—pottery, quilts, whirligigs, and more—to celebrate and preserve the nation's vernacular heritage. Miceli, a skilled illustrator, contributed numerous such renderings, blending technical accuracy with artistic flair to make historical artifacts accessible and alive. Housed in the National Gallery of Art, this piece underscores the cultural value of ordinary objects as expressions of American ingenuity and tradition. Its watercolor medium allows for luminous color and texture, bridging fine art with design history, inviting us to appreciate the beauty in the utilitarian.