Crucifix
c. 1939
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 45.8 x 35.4 cm (18 1/16 x 13 15/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 18 1/2"long; 14"wide
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.6913
Art Historical Context
Pearl Davis's *Crucifix*, created around 1939, is a detailed mixed-media rendering from the National Gallery of Art's Index of American Design. Measuring 45.8 by 35.4 cm, the work employs watercolor, colored pencil, and graphite on paperboard to depict a crucifix whose original object measured 18½ inches long by 14 inches wide. This precise illustration captures the form, scale, and character of the artifact with remarkable fidelity. The Index of American Design assembled thousands of such renderings in the 1930s to record America's decorative arts, folk objects, and crafts. Davis's combinati...