Water Crock
c. 1938
Medium
watercolor, graphite, colored pencil, and gouache on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 30.1 x 23.2 cm (11 7/8 x 9 1/8 in.) Original IAD Object: 12" High 8" Dia(Max) 5 1/2" Dia(top) 6" Dia(base)
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.7050
Art Historical Context
Vincent P. Rosel's *Water Crock* (c. 1938) is a meticulous rendering of a traditional American pottery vessel, captured through watercolor, graphite, colored pencil, and gouache on paperboard. Measuring 30.1 x 23.2 cm, this work documents an everyday object—12 inches high with a maximum diameter of 8 inches—likely used for storing water in households. Rosel's skilled use of mixed media brings out the crock's subtle glazes, curves, and textures, transforming a humble utilitarian item into a study of form and craftsmanship. Created as part of the Index of American Design (IAD), a Federal Art Pr...
About the Artist
Vincent P. Rosel
Vincent P. Rosel is an artist about whom very limited documentation survives in the accessible art historical record. His dates, nationality, artistic training, and the scope of his career have not been definitively established in scholarly sources, placing him among the many figures whose names appear in collection records but whose biographies remain to be recovered. Where works attributed to R...