Tea Table
c. 1936
Medium
watercolor, colored pencil, gouache, and graphite on paper
Dimensions
overall: 25.3 x 36.2 cm (9 15/16 x 14 1/4 in.) Original IAD Object: none given
Classification
Index of American Design
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Index of American Design
Accession Number
1943.8.5679
Art Historical Context
Welcome to the National Gallery of's exploration of American design! "Tea Table," created around 1936 by artist Henry Moore, is a captivating watercolor rendering from the Index of American Design (IAD). This ambitious WPA Federal Art Project, launched during the Great Depression employed artists to document everyday American folk art and craftsmanship through vibrant, detailed illustrations. Moore's work preserves the elegance of a classic tea table, highlighting the ingenuity of early American decorative arts. Crafted with watercolor, colored pencil, gouache, and graphite on paper (measurin...
About the Artist
Henry Moore
Henry Moore (1898–1986) was one of the most celebrated and influential sculptors of the twentieth century, whose monumental abstract forms — reclining figures, mother and child groupings, and dramatic void-pierced masses — reshaped the landscape of modern sculpture and brought his work to audiences across the globe. Born in Castleford, Yorkshire, the son of a coal miner, Moore won a scholarship to...