Weathervane: Indian on Horseback

Date1850-1880

OriginAmerica, Maine, Wells area (possibly)

MediumIron, pine, paint, and gilt

DimensionsOverall: 27 3/8 x 39 x 1 3/4in. (69.5 x 99.1 x 4.4cm)

Credit LineGift of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller

Object number1933.700.1

DescriptionA carved and gilded wooden figure of a horse running at speed, his body stretched over an irregular horizontal base representing the ground beneath him, his mane and tail outstretched. The horse is carved in the round but possesses only shallow depth. A flat, cutout, gilded, sheet iron figure of a kneeling Indian with upraised bow and arrow has been added to the horse's back by means of a sheet iron strap, or brace. Artist unidentified.
Label TextThe stylized elongation of the horse is accentuated by its flying mane and tail, which reinforce an impression of spirited forward momentum. The base is an important visual detail, having been carved to suggest the landscape over which the horse tirelessly gallops.
It is unusual for major elements of a vane to be made of different materials, but this example's combination of wooden horse and sheet iron Indian is not original. The figure of the Indian was added later, possibly having been inspired by performers in traveling circuses and wild west shows. When the Indian was added, the pivot point was relocated to accommodate the weight shift and the entire vane was gilded.
InscribedNone found.
MarkingsNone found.
ProvenanceMiss Helen Shevlin, Cambridge, Mass.; acquired via the Rhode Island School of Design and L. Earle Rowe by Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, by whom given to CWF.

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