Vase (Amberina)
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paper
Dimensions
overall: 30.5 x 22.8 cm (12 x 9 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.10941
Art Historical Context
Behold the exquisite *Vase (Amberina)*, a meticulously rendered watercolor, graphite, and gouache by artist Robert Stewart, created 1937. This intimate work on paper (30.5 x 22.8 cm) captures shimmering allure of an Amber glass vase—a 19th-century American innovation where molten glass transitions from warm amber to vibrant ruby red through reheating, evoking the glow of sunset. Such vases, popularized by the New England Glass Company in the1880s, symbolized Victorian opulence and technical mastery in art glassmaking. Stewart's piece is a gem from the *Index of American Design*, a landmark WP...
About the Artist
Robert Stewart
Robert Stewart was an American artist who worked during the New Deal era, contributing to the Index of American Design — one of the most ambitious cultural documentation projects in United States history. Sponsored by the Works Progress Administration's Federal Art Project from 1935 to 1942, the Index employed hundreds of artists across the country to create meticulous watercolor renderings of Ame...