Bead Plane
1939
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and colored pencil on paper
Dimensions
overall: 35.7 x 45.8 cm (14 1/16 x 18 1/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 3 3/8" high; 9 1/2" long
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.13303
Art Historical Context
**Bead Plane** is a meticulous 1939 rendering by artist Max Unger, capturing the elegant form of a traditional woodworking tool from early American craftsmanship. Created using watercolor, graphite, and colored pencil on paper (35.7 x 45.8 cm), this work vividly depicts a bead plane—measuring just 3 3/8 inches high and 91/2 inches long its original form. These specialized hand planes, used by colonial woodworkers, produced decorative beaded moldings on furniture, doors, and architectural elements, embodying the precision and ingenuity of 18th- and 19th-century American trades. As part of the ...