Weathervane: Butterfly

Date1872-1900

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

MediumCopper, copper alloy, lead, paint, and gilding

DimensionsOverall: 18 1/2 x 17 x 1/2in. (47 x 43.2 x 1.3cm)

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number1962.800.2

DescriptionA sheet copper weather vane in the form of a butterfly. The legs were cut out separately and attached to the main body, the two forelegs on the R side and the two rear legs on the L. The legs are outstretched. The antennae are long metal wires that are attached on either side of the head; the L antenna is additionally supported by a horizontal bar that runs forward from the vertical ridge that receives the pole). The ends of the antennae are somewhat flattened. The wings overlapp and are from a single sheet. The whole was once gilded, then later painted yellow.Label TextJudging by the number of surviving examples, insects were not considered very appealing subjects by nineteenth-century weather vane manufacturers or their customers. The attribution of this butterfly to L. W. Cushing & Sons is based on an illustration of a nearly identical vane in the firm's 1883 catalogue, where it was listed for $10.00. J. W. Fiske's 1883 catalogue included a different butterfly, one that had perforated wings.
Sunday shooters were the nemesis of weather vanes. Many pranksters, old and young, took potshots at vanes for the simple amusement of watching them spin. Old bullet holes and indentations give this butterfly a spotted appearance that it lacked originally, when it would have been gilded overall. Later, yellow paint was applied as a cheap alternative to re-gilding.
ProvenanceWillard Gallery, New York, NY.