Weathervane: Rooster

Date1801 (possibly)

OriginAmerica, Massachusetts, Amesbury area (probably)

MediumCopper, lead, iron, paint, and gilt

DimensionsOverall: 29 1/4 x 30 1/2 x 3 3/4in. (74.3 x 77.5 x 9.5cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1958.800.1

DescriptionCopper weather vane rooster. Body hollow of two sheets of copper hammered out slightly to create an arc to indicate wings. Heavy seam around outside edge of bird. Crest, beak and wattle single sheets of metal attached at seam, as are legs and lower tail feathers. Very simple outlines to create strong of bird. Tail created by two large arcs of sheet metal which are held together by three straight pieces of metal to support them, and attach them to bird. Strong silhouette form.

Artist unidentified.
Label TextEvidence suggests that this vane was made for the Sandy Hill Church in Amesbury, Massachusetts, a structure that was completed in 1717, rebuilt in 1801, and demolished in 1848. If correct, the vane probably dates to 1801, the year a spire was added to the church (note 1).
The vane's general form, downcurved open beak, prominent spur, and position of the leg in relation to the vertical mount recall the cockerel vane fashioned by Shem Drowne (1683-1774) in 1721 and installed atop the First Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts (note 2). The weathercock made in 1771 by Drowne's son, Thomas, for the East Meetinghouse in Salem also shares those stylizations (note 3). Perhaps one of the Drowne vanes inspired the Museum's unidentified maker, who then modified the design to suit the taste and pocketbook of the Amesbury congregation.
ProvenanceMiss E. F. Morrill, East Gloucester, Mass.; Stony Point Folk Art Gallery, Stony Point, NY.

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