Rare 19th-Century Iron Serpent Weathervane, American Folk Art, Ca. 1850–1880

Details

Description

19th-Century American Iron Serpent Weathervane
A rare and graphically powerful serpent weathervane, hand-cut from sheet iron and riveted in sections, … Read more 19th-Century American Iron Serpent Weathervane
A rare and graphically powerful serpent weathervane, hand-cut from sheet iron and riveted in sections, with the bold sinuous silhouette characteristic of the best American folk-art vanes of the period. At 32 inches in length, it has the scale and presence of a piece originally intended to be read against the sky from a barn roof or cupola.

The serpent form is among the scarcest of all American weathervane subjects. While roosters, horses, cows, and arrows survive in the thousands, documented serpent vanes number only a handful — most famously the painted sheet-iron sea-serpent vane in the collection of the American Folk Art Museum, New York. Published examples in pine (illustrated in Howard and Catherine Feldman's collection and the Concord Antiquarian Society's holdings) confirm the form's place in the 19th-century vernacular tradition, though iron examples of this size and quality are considerably rarer.

Folk-art scholars generally trace the serpent motif to the New England sea-serpent sightings reported off Gloucester, Massachusetts beginning in 1817, which captured the regional imagination for decades and entered the visual vocabulary of coastal craftsmen.
Condition & Surface

The vane retains what appears to be its original black-painted surface, now beautifully aged with a fine craquelure and scattered areas of light surface oxidation consistent with long outdoor exposure. The silhouette is structurally sound with no apparent losses or later alterations to the form. Original mounting hardware remains intact.
Mounting

Now presented on a custom-fabricated black steel display base, allowing the vane to be shown as freestanding sculpture. The piece can also be wall-mounted for those who prefer to display it horizontally.
Specifications

Form: Serpent weathervane
Origin: American, probably New England, 19th century
Material: Hand-cut sheet iron, riveted construction
Dimensions: 32" L × 11" H (vane only)
Surface: Original black paint with authentic weathered patina
Includes: Custom black steel display stand; suitable for wall mounting

Published Comparables

Sea-serpent weathervane, painted sheet iron, ca. 1850, American Folk Art Museum, New York
Painted pine serpent vane, late 18th c., Concord Antiquarian Society, Concord, Mass.
Painted wood serpent vane, 19th c., Howard and Catherine Feldman Collection

A sculptural and historically resonant survivor — equally at home in a serious folk-art collection, a designed interior, or above a fireplace as a graphic statement piece. See less