Andirons
c. 1937
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 35.7 x 25.7 cm (14 1/16 x 10 1/8 in.) Original IAD Object: 18" high
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.8157
Art Historical Context
Created around 1937 by Dana Bartlett, this watercolor and graphite drawing on paper portrays andirons, traditional fireplace accessories essential for holding burning logs. The artwork, measuring approximately 14 by 10 inches, documents an original object 18 inches high, reflecting the meticulous attention to detail characteristic of such renderings. This piece belongs to the Index of American Design, a Depression-era initiative under the Works Progress Administration that employed artists to catalog American decorative arts through highly accurate illustrations. Bartlett's contribution helps...
About the Artist
Dana Bartlett
Dana Bartlett was an American painter known for his luminous depictions of the California landscape, particularly the sun-drenched hills, coastlines, and desert terrain of the American Southwest. Working primarily in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Bartlett became a significant figure in the California Impressionist movement, bringing the warm, atmospheric light of Southern Cali...