Weathervane: Indian on Horseback
Date1850-1880
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.
Exhibition(s)
Probably 1900-1925
1770-1784
1875-1900
1875-1900
ca. 1770
ca. 1760
1810-1830
1829
Probably 1738-1740
Probably 1925-1940