Weathervane: Fish

Date1875-1890

OriginAmerica, Massachusetts, Boston or Waltham (possibly)

MediumCopper, lead, paint, and gilt

DimensionsOverall: 20 1/2 x 69 x 4in. (52.1 x 175.3 x 10.2cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1972.800.1

DescriptionA full-bodied molded copper weather vane in the form of a large fish, with some gilding left on it. The fish's sides are covered with rounded scales, and the tail and fins are finely lined. The fins are cutout separately and soldered in place. The mouth is slightly open. The scales were created via repousee.

Artist unidentified.
Label TextA weather vane often identified the occupation or the business of its owner. This beautifully detailed example was found in Barnstable, Massachusetts, a town closely allied to the fishing industry. Although long called a "codfish," the vane does not mirror every nuance of cod anatomy, so the present, more generic title may be in order. Several manufacturers offered fish vanes, but no published designs exactly matching this one have been identified to date (July 2009). That fact plus the fish's great (69-inch) length suggest that the vane was custom made for some sizable structure, perhaps a fish processing plant.
Barnstable's proximity to Boston and Waltham, Massachusetts, the centers of the New England weather vane trade, and the vane's probable date suggest several conceivable makers, the likeliest being Harris & Company, Cushing & White, L. W. Cushing & Sons, and W. A. Snow & Company (known in later years as The W. A. Snow Iron Works).
ProvenanceFound in Barnstable, Mass.; Harry Arons, Ansonia, Conn.; Edith Gregor Halpert, New York, NY; Terry Dintenfass, Inc., New York, NY.

Exhibition(s)