Easter Rabbit

Date1795-1800

Attributed to Johann Conrad Gilbert (1734-1812)

OriginAmerica, Pennsylvania, Berks County

MediumWatercolor and ink on laid paper

DimensionsPrimary support: 3 3/16" x 3 3/16" and Framed: 4 3/8" x 5 1/4" x 7/8"

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1959.305.3

DescriptionA depiction of a leaping, fancifully-decorated rabbit, a basket of eggs suspended under his belly by a strap running over his back.

The 3/4-inch gilded and molded frame is a mid-nineteenth century addition or replacement.
Label TextThis tiny picture is the earliest portrayal of the mythical Easter rabbit known in American art. Pennsylvania Dutch folklore held that the rabbit laid the eggs that he delivered to children for Easter. The legend probably stems from the Teutonic era in Germany, when it was believed that such furry creatures laid eggs in springtime to honor the goddess Ostara, from whose name the word "Easter" derives. Ostara is credited with having transformed birds into animals.

The decoration on the basket is similar to some of the border motifs that Johann Conrad Gilbert used around the crowns on the birth and baptismal certificates he also created. Gilbert was a German-born schoolmaster working in southeastern Pennsylvania and his Easter Rabbit was probably made as a token or gift to delight a child, perhaps the Johannes Bolich referenced in the inscription on the back. This person may have been the Johannes Bolich who was born 4 February 1784 to Andreas Bolich, Jr., and his wife, Margaretha Elizabeth Kimmel Bolich, in Greenwich Township, Berks County. This Bolich family moved to Brunswick Township when Johannes was eight or nine years old, and he was confirmed there by Reverend Ebenhaus on 28 September 1799. On 13 October 1807, also in Brunswick Township, Johannes married Catharina Fischer (1789-1852). He died 15 June 1867. Unfortunately, lack of documented provenance may preclude knowing for certain whether this is the Johannes Bolich mentioned in the inscription.

In addition to providing a name, the inscription supports a date of execution prior to 1 March 1811, when parts of Berks and Northampton counties --- including Brunswick Township --- were incorporated into newly created Schuylkill County.
InscribedWritten in ink in script on the reverse of the primary support is: "Gehört Johannes Bolich/In Braunschweig Tounshib/Berks Caunti". The English translation reads: "[This] belongs to Johannes Bolich in Brunswick Township Berks County."
ProvenanceOwnership prior to AARFAM's source, L.L.Beans of Trenton, NJ, is undocumented.