Snuffer
c. 1936
Medium
graphite and colored pencil on paper
Dimensions
overall: 23.4 x 28.5 cm (9 3/16 x 11 1/4 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.9216
Art Historical Context
Behold the delicate rendering *Snuffer* by Hesterany, created around 1936. This graphite and colored pencil drawing on paper, measuring 23.4 x 28.5 cm, captures elegant form of a traditional candle snuffer—an essential household tool from America's past used to trim and extinguish candle wicks. Duany's precise lines and subtle hues bring out the object's graceful curves, polished surfaces, and functional beauty, transforming a humble utilitarian item into a work of art. As part of the Index of American Design, this piece stems from a groundbreaking Federal Art Project under the Works Progress...
About the Artist
Hester Duany
Hester Duany (1891–1964) was an American artist best known for her meticulous renderings of traditional American folk art objects as part of the Index of American Design, a Federal Art Project under the Works Progress Administration (WPA) from 1935 to 1942. Working out of the New York City Project, Duany contributed dozens of watercolor and graphite drawings on paperboard that captured the intrica...