Candle Holder
1935/1942
Medium
colored pencil and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 29.1 x 22.8 cm (11 7/16 x 9 in.) Original IAD Object: 9" high
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.17664
Art Historical Context
**Candle Holder** by Bernard Gussow1935/1942) is a meticulous rendering from the Index of American Design, a landmark WPA Federal Art Project that employed artists during the Great Depression to document America's rich folk art and decorative traditions. Created with colored pencil and graphite on paper (29.1 x 22.8 cm), this drawing captures a modest yet elegant candle holder standing 9 inches high, highlighting everyday objects as cultural treasures. Gussow, a skilled draftsman, employed precise techniques to convey the object's form, texture, and subtle coloration, preserving details that ...