Weathervane: Pickerel

Date1872-1900

Attributed to L. W. Cushing & Sons (active 18[72?]-1933)

MediumCopper and lead

DimensionsOverall: 10 3/4 x 36 x 3 1/2in. (27.3 x 91.4 x 8.9cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1955.800.1

DescriptionA hammered, full-bodied vane in the form of a pickerel, the two halves soldered together and the cut sheet fins applied, The fish's scales appear in relief.Label TextL. W. Cushing & Sons listed, but did not illustrate, a thirty-six inch pickerel vane in its 1883 catalog, and examination of surviving molds confirms that that firm made this example. Today, similar vanes occasionally are called "pikes." Their fins exhibit great variety. Because these appendages were not integral to the stamped halves of the body (but, rather, pieces of cut sheet that were soldered into the seam), they could be altered easily.ProvenanceDocumentation for the source of this vane is missing; it may have been acquired from Edith Gregor Halpert, Downtown Gallery, New York, NY.