Design for Lampshade, Polo Players

William Hunt Diederich's design for a decorative lampshade features polo players in dynamic motion, rendered in ink on paper. The composition unfolds across the curved surface with figures on horseback captured mid-swing, their forms integrated into a continuous narrative strip. Diederich, a metalsmith and designer born in Hungary and trained in America, employs linear drawing and rhythmic composition to suggest movement across the cylindrical form. The work demonstrates the designer's approach to translating sporting subject matter into functional decorative arts during the 1920s, when modernist design principles were reshaping domestic objects. The sketch reveals the artist's working method, with multiple studies and compositional variations exploring how the figures would wrap around the lampshade's surface.