Stoneware Vase

Art Historical Context

Behold the *Stoneware Vase*, meticulously rendered depiction by artist Fred Weiss, created around 1936. This gouache and colored pencil drawing paper, measuring 28.1 x 35.8 cm, captures subtle textures and earthy tones of an original stoneware vessel standing just 6½ inches high. Stoneware, a sturdy ceramic fired at high temperatures to achieve its characteristic grayish-blue hue and durability, was a staple of American folk pottery traditions. This artwork is part of the prestigious Index of American Design (IAD), a Works Progress Administration (WPA) initiative during the Great Depression. Launched in 1935, the IAD employed hundreds of artists to document everyday American crafts—from quilts to furniture—through vibrant, precise renderings. Weiss's contribution preserves the vase's simple, functional form, highlighting regional pottery techniques likely rooted in 19th-century American workshops. Gouache's opaque vibrancy paired with colored pencil's fine lines allowed for lifelike detail, making the humble object shine as cultural heritage. Today, housed in the National Gallery of Art, this piece invites us to appreciate how ordinary household items embodied American ingenuity and craftsmanship, bridging art, history, and everyday life.

About the Artist

Fred Weiss · 1855–present

Fred Weiss is an artist whose biographical record is not well established in standard reference works. No dates of birth or death have been confirmed, and his nationality and training are not documented in available sources. The commonality of the name makes confident identification challenging, and it is not possible to place this particular Fred Weiss within a specific artistic tradition, schoo...