Willow-Bound Flask
c. 1940
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and gouache on paper
Dimensions
overall: 40.7 x 32.4 cm (16 x 12 3/4 in.) Original IAD Object: 5" high; 5" wide; 3" thick
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.8772
Art Historical Context
**Willow-Bound Flask***Frank Gray, c. 1940* Watercolor, graphite, andache on paper, 40.7 × 32.4 cm (16 × 12 3/4 in.) *Index of American Design, National Gallery of Art* into the charming world of American folk craft with Frank Gray's *Willow-Bound Flask a meticulous rendering from around 1940. This artwork captures a modest yet ingenious object—a small flask, measuring just 5 inches high,, and 3 inches—encased in woven willow, likely a practical vessel from everyday American life. Gray's skilled hand brings to life the flask's textured bark, supple willow bindings, and subtle curves, evo...
About the Artist
Frank Gray
Frank Gray is an artist whose works are held in institutional collections, though comprehensive biographical information — including birth and death dates, nationality, and artistic training — remains difficult to establish from currently available sources. The relative obscurity of his biographical record is not uncommon among artists who worked outside the major metropolitan centers or the most ...