Chopping Knife
c. 1941
Medium
watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 22.8 x 28.8 cm (9 x 11 5/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 6 7/8" long; 6 1/4" high; blade: 3/32" thick
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.9442
Art Historical Context
Created circa 1941 by artist Nicholas Amantea, this watercolor, graphite, and pen and ink drawing on paperboard depicts a chopping knife as part of the Index of American Design. This ambitious project, launched during the Great Depression under the Works Progress Administration, sought to catalog and preserve America's rich tradition of decorative arts and folk objects through meticulously accurate illustrations. Amantea's rendering captures the chopping knife in exquisite detail, reflecting the Index's emphasis on documentary precision rather than artistic interpretation. The original object...
About the Artist
Nicholas Amantea
Nicholas Amantea (1900–1978) was an American artist born on July 13, 1900, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His early life and artistic training are not well documented, but by the mid-1930s, he had established himself in New York City, where he contributed significantly to federal art initiatives during the Great Depression. From March 13, 1936, to July 15, 1942, Amantea worked for the Works Progress...