French Rooster Weathervane
Antique 19th Century French Weathervanes
Copper, Iron
Antique Mid-19th Century French Weathervanes
Copper
Antique 19th Century French Folk Art Weathervanes
Iron
Antique 19th Century French Folk Art Weathervanes
Copper, Iron
Antique 19th Century French French Provincial Weathervanes
Iron
Antique 1890s French Early Victorian Signs
Zinc
Mid-20th Century Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Brass
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Antique 17th Century Italian Baroque Mounted Objects
Wood
Antique 17th Century French French Provincial Candlesticks
Iron
Antique 15th Century and Earlier French Gothic Religious Items
Parchment Paper
Antique 19th Century French French Provincial Jars
Ceramic
Antique 19th Century French Folk Art Mounted Objects
Textile, Wood
Antique 18th Century Spanish Baroque Architectural Elements
Wood
Antique 19th Century American Weathervanes
Iron
Antique Late 19th Century American Folk Art Weathervanes
Copper
Antique 15th Century and Earlier French Religious Items
Parchment Paper
Antique 18th Century Italian Baroque Figurative Sculptures
Wood
Antique 19th Century French French Provincial Ceramics
Terracotta
Antique Mid-18th Century Italian Folk Art Blanket Chests
Fir
Antique Late 19th Century American Folk Art Weathervanes
Iron
Antique Late 18th Century Swedish Folk Art Dining Room Tables
Pine
Antique 17th Century French Figurative Sculptures
Oak
20th Century American Folk Art Animal Sculptures
Wood
Recent Sales
Antique 19th Century French Garden Ornaments
Iron, Zinc
Antique 19th Century French Weathervanes
Antique 19th Century French Folk Art Weathervanes
Antique 19th Century French Weathervanes
Copper
Antique Early 19th Century French Primitive Weathervanes
Brass, Copper
Antique 19th Century French Weathervanes
Zinc
Antique 19th Century French Weathervanes
Zinc
Antique 19th Century French Weathervanes
Copper, Lead
Antique 19th Century French French Provincial Weathervanes
Zinc
Antique 19th Century European Weathervanes
Copper
Antique 19th Century French Folk Art Weathervanes
Iron
Antique 19th Century French Folk Art Weathervanes
Iron
Antique 19th Century French Weathervanes
Copper
Antique 19th Century French Weathervanes
Antique 19th Century French Folk Art Weathervanes
Iron
Early 20th Century French Animal Sculptures
Marble, Zinc
Antique 19th Century French Folk Art Weathervanes
Antique Late 18th Century French Weathervanes
Copper
Antique 19th Century French Weathervanes
Zinc
Early 20th Century British Weathervanes
Copper
Early 20th Century English Weathervanes
Copper
Antique 19th Century French Table Lamps
Copper
Antique 19th Century French Folk Art Mounted Objects
Iron
Antique 19th Century French Country Sculptures
French Table Lamps
Zinc
Early 20th Century French More Furniture and Collectibles
Zinc
Antique Late 18th Century French Weathervanes
Pewter
Antique 19th Century French Weathervanes
Zinc
Antique 19th Century French Weathervanes
Zinc
Early 20th Century French Folk Art Weathervanes
Copper
Antique 18th Century French Folk Art Weathervanes
Copper
Antique 19th Century French Folk Art Weathervanes
Copper, Zinc
Antique 19th Century French Folk Art Weathervanes
Zinc
Antique 19th Century French Folk Art Weathervanes
Iron
Early 20th Century French Folk Art Weathervanes
Copper
Antique 19th Century French Folk Art Weathervanes
Iron
Antique 17th Century French Folk Art Weathervanes
Iron
Early 20th Century French Weathervanes
Metal, Iron
Antique 18th Century French Weathervanes
Brass, Copper
20th Century French Country Architectural Elements
Iron
Antique 19th Century French Mounted Objects
Zinc
Antique 19th Century French Folk Art Figurative Sculptures
Iron
Antique 19th Century French Country Mounted Objects
Iron
Antique 19th Century French Weathervanes
Metal
Antique 19th Century French Weathervanes
Copper
Early 20th Century French Weathervanes
Zinc
Antique 19th Century French Weathervanes
Iron, Gold Leaf
Vintage 1950s French Mid-Century Modern Weathervanes
Copper
Antique 19th Century French Weathervanes
Antique 19th Century French Weathervanes
Early 20th Century French Weathervanes
Zinc
Antique 19th Century French Weathervanes
Sheet Metal
Antique 18th Century and Earlier French Weathervanes
Sheet Metal
Antique 18th Century and Earlier French Weathervanes
Sheet Metal
Antique 18th Century and Earlier French Weathervanes
Sheet Metal
Antique 18th Century and Earlier French Weathervanes
Sheet Metal
Early 20th Century French Weathervanes
Iron
Antique 18th Century and Earlier French Weathervanes
Copper
Vintage 1950s French Table Lamps
Bronze
Antique 19th Century French Weathervanes
Metal
Finding the Right weathervanes for You
Whether it’s mounted on a mantel or hung flat against a wall in the living room or entryway, antique and vintage weathervanes can prove a striking decorative touch in your home.
Weathervanes are instruments that indicate wind direction. They are also referred to as wind vanes, wind gauges or weathercocks, but regardless of what we call them, most weathervanes will perform in the same way.
Weathervanes typically consist of a gravity-centered rotating horizontal arrow or other structure that is mounted on a stationary vertical axis. When the wind blows, the horizontal piece moves freely, rotating to indicate the wind’s direction as well as its speed. Andronicus, a Greek astronomer, crafted one of the earliest iterations of the weathervane in approximately 48 B.C. His bronze design featured the head and torso of a man but the tail of a fish. Later, weathervanes could be seen atop church steeples and towers throughout Europe. The oldest weathervane is Italian in origin and assumes the silhouette of a rooster. It is a copper weathervane, said to have originated between 820 and 830 A.D. and can be found in the Museo di Santa Giulia in Brescia, Italy.
Today, antique and vintage weathervanes are collectible sculptural works in any interior. They are celebrated for their place in the rich tradition of American folk art as well as their technological innovation.
Over the course of the 19th century, as the popularity of and demand for weathervanes broadened in the United States, blacksmiths, farmers and other tradesmen created weathervanes in the forms of cows, horses and other animals for barns in rural farmland. Commercial manufacturers in major cities took to producing all manner of weathervanes that were marketed in mail-order catalogs of the era.
When decorating with weathervanes, if you’ve decided against mounting your cast-iron painted horse weathervane on your mantel to complement your farmhouse-style decor, there are other options. You could repurpose your vintage weathervane as a provocative lighting fixture and hang it above your dining-room table, or dot the walls of your mudroom with weathervanes where they might double as racks for coats or other outerwear. Create a gallery-style hang as a focal point in your living room, grouping weathervanes that share a single theme or material. Because weathervanes have taken on many forms over the years, you’re likely to find a style that best fits your personality.
If positioned outdoors, a painted or varnished wood weathervane will resist harsh weather conditions, while copper weathervanes will resist erosion and usually come at an affordable price.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of antique and vintage weathervanes and other folk art today.
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