Miner's Ore Bucket
1939
Medium
watercolor and graphite on paperboard
Dimensions
overall: 40.7 x 30.3 cm (16 x 11 15/16 in.) Original IAD Object: 13" deep; top: 18" in diameter; bottom: 14" in diameter
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.9010
Art Historical Context
**Miner's Ore Bucket** is a meticulous 1939 watercolor and graphite rendering by Chicago artist Fernekes, capturing rugged form of a utilitarian miner's ore bucket. Measuring 40.7 x 30.3 cm, this detailed study on paperboard depicts the bucket's practical design—13 inches deep, with an 18-inch top diameter to 14 inches at the bottom—highlighting its role in American mining operations. Fernekes' precise lines and subtle watercolor washes evoke the bucket's weathered metal texture, blending graphite's sharp definition with color's depth for a lifelike quality. Created as part of the Index of Am...