1890s Weathervanes

Hand-riveted galvanized folk art cow weather vane with directional arrow. Was on top of a dairy farm cupola. Great sculpture or mountable; from Minnesota;...

Three dimensional copper horse weather vane on stand. Traces of verdegris with one bullet hole. On a more modern stand. Measures: 30 1/2" L ...

Great verdigris surface. In overall very good condition, some bullet holes with early repairs to one side.

American 19th century Folk Art whirligig is hand-carved and painted, probably pine, in excellent original paint, which is obvious by noticeable period crazing. Sailor boy (lacking hand paddles which is usual) is painted in colors of red, white, and blue on both sides, as is the Directional arrow. Resting on a black metal Stand made specifically for this whirligig, the overall height 16 3/4" high, while the width is 13 1/2". Actual height of the carving is 14". Likely the work of a Nantucket, Massachusetts carver, William Chase (1850-1931), this whirligig is similar to Skinner Auction item #1244 on 8/9/15 by the same artist; and Skinner Auction lot #88 on 2/17/08. Note: Term "Dewey Boy" is taken from Admiral George Dewey; an American Naval war...

Large arrow weathervane, 19th century, American. From a Maine estate.

Listed is a rare and outstanding full bodied J. W. Fiske copper and zinc horse and jockey weathervane. It is in excellent all original condition with an extraordinary amount of the original gold leaf intact; highly unusual to find in this state of preservation due to inclement weather exposure to which they were subjected. The jockey is zinc and has been hand-painted, as is the head of the horse, whereas, the rest of the weathervane has clear evidence of high gold karat application with the majority of it still in place. An identical example of the stallion can be seen on page 77 of "The Gallery of American Weathervanes" by Bishop and Coblentz written in 1981. That example is also copper with a cast zinc jockey and horse head. Subject matter of horse and jockey symbolizes the popularity of horse racing, steeplechase, and harness racing during the late 19th century which is further illustrated in several Currier and Ive's lithographs of the same period. The manufacturer of this weathervane, the J.W. Fiske & Co., was established in New York City in 1863 by Joseph Winn Fiske. In addition to weathervanes, they were premier makers of upscale decorative iron works for gardens. Many of their weathervanes and products were custom-made to order. A Fiske weathervane...

Nantucket Sperm Whale Weather Vane Whirligig, having slender hand-whittled flukes with great graceful curve, and carved teeth. The flukes are free to spin ...

Diminutive size copper weathervane with diamond shaped pierced cast iron arrow Directional; American, circa 1890s. Condition is excellent with patinated verdigree weathered finish...

From the Isobel and Harvey Kahn collection. Great dry paint and outstanding early repairs.

Old paint over copper body weathervane with solid zinc head. Found in Vermont