Weathervane: Arrow

DatePossibly 1900-1925

MediumWood (identified microscopically as Douglas Fir), iron, tinplate, and paint

DimensionsOverall: 19 1/4 x 67 x 1 3/4in. (48.9 x 170.2 x 4.4cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1961.700.2

DescriptionWooden silhouette arrow painted yellow, with most of the paint worn off. Sides of the arrow slotted into long shaft of arrow, and end of arrow reinforced with tin tip. Either side of arrow head braced with rectangle of tin nailed into position. Large neatly carved feathers--five in either side, each carved from single piece of wood. Feathers slotted into shaft from either side. They are also reinforced by small rectangular piece of tin nailed into position. Old worn hole through center of shaft supports arrow as it pivots in wind.

Artist unidentified.
Label TextThe arrow form admirably fulfills the primary function of a weather vane--to point in the direction from which the wind blows. This vane's large size suggests it may have been intended for a public building or other large structure.
The wood used in making this vane grows naturally over a wide area (about 2,000 square miles) of the Pacific coastline, and the lumber easily could have been used elsewhere, so this vane's origin cannot be determined with confidence.
ProvenanceStony Point Folk Art Gallery, Stony Point, NY.

Exhibition(s)