Cast Zinc and Sheet Copper Rooster Weathervane

Description:

Cast Zinc and Sheet Copper Rooster Weathervane, J. Howard and Company, West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, 1850-68, cast zinc body, corrugated copper tail and copper spurred feet with verdigris patina and traces of gilt, including black metal stand, (minor dents),total ht. 12 5/8, lg. 12 1/4 in.

Note: According to an article by Myrna Kaye, in the Maine Antiques Digest August, 1982, entitled "The Many Directions of J. Howard , Weathervane Maker," Howard was known for using cast zinc foreparts which at the time was to his detriment because "the gilded surfaces lost their coat of gold while the copper hind parts remained gilded. Corrosion--the "patina" so cherished by twentieth century folk art collectors--was not at all what nineteenth century weathervane purchasers had in mind." The article also depicts a rooster with the same form.
Estimate $6,000-8,000

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