Rope Bed
c. 1939
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, pen and ink, graphite and some heightening on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 40.9 x 50.9 cm (16 1/8 x 20 1/16 in.) Original IAD Object: none given
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.4000
Art Historical Context
**Rope Bed**, a meticulous rendering by Walter G.uozzo around 1939, captures the elegance of an early American rope bed—a traditional piece of furniture where ropes were laced through the frame to support the mattress, a practical innovation before metal springs became common. This watercolor, colored pencil, pen and ink, graphite, and heightening paperboard (40.9 x 50.9 cm) showcases Capuozzo's skill in rendering textures, from the taut ropes to the worn wood grain, evoking colonial-era craftsmanship. Created as part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a Federal Art Project under the Work...