ORThe Open Room
Digital gallery
Back to the NGA collection
The sculpture depicts a bird perched among intricate foliage and wheat-like elements, forming a decorative capital that would typically adorn the top of a column. The material resembles stone or plaster, with a natural color palette in shades of brown and gray. The carving captures textures of feathers and leaves, indicating skilled craftsmanship. The sculpture combines natural motifs with classical design principles.
Read the visual description

The sculpture depicts a bird perched among intricate foliage and wheat-like elements, forming a decorative capital that would typically adorn the top of a column. The material resembles stone or plaster, with a natural color palette in shades of brown and gray. The carving captures textures of feathers and leaves, indicating skilled craftsmanship. The sculpture combines natural motifs with classical design principles.

National Gallery of Art · Index of American Design

Architectural Ornament

Helen Blumenstiel

Date
1935/1942
Medium
3-color lithograph on paper
Dimensions
overall: 54.9 x 40.6 cm (21 5/8 x 16 in.)
Classification
Index of American Design · Drawing
Accession number
1943.8.12794
Credit line
Index of American Design
Time span
1926 to 1950
Department
CG-W
Original NGA record Wikidata

Subjects and terms

  • American
Inscription

lower center in graphite: Cousole; lower right in graphite: Helen A. Bluemensteil

NGA object ID 24886. Collection metadata is reproduced under CC0. This work is included because its NGA published-image record is marked open access; visitors should recheck the source record before substantial reuse.