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  COW WEATHERVANE EXCELLENT SCALE, GREAT, BOXY FORM, AND BEAUTIFUL, GILDED SURFACE, L.W. CUSHING & SONS, BOSTON, CA 1880
Dimensions (inches): 21.5" tall x 32" long x 6.5" deep (base)
Description:
Imposing cow weathervane with the sort of boldly exaggerated, boxy form illustrated in 18th and 19th century paintings of champion livestock. Made ca 1880, of hammer-molded copper with cast horns and ears, the style is similar to many examples produced by weathervane manufacturers in the latter 1800's, but is a nearly dead-on match to one illustrated in the 1883 catalogue of L.W. Cushing & Sons in Boston, Massachusetts. The only real variation from their form, simply entitled "Cow," is the breadth at the waist and the line of the belly, which are curiously closer to the Cushing "Ox." The peculiar head is fairly distinctive, with its downward-facing, elongated muzzle and long, upward-curving horns, which it also happens to share with the Ox design. Among all of the major makers during this general time frame, the horns are notably long for a cow and the only illustration I can find of similar profile can be seen on examples offered by both J. Harris & Co. and W.A. Snow Iron Works, both of Boston, who copied one-another and used the exact same copperplate engraving of many weathervanes in their catalogues.

The surface is gilded and beautifully weathered. This is a second surface, probably dating to the 1920's, and some of the original can be seen underneath, along with white sizing and green verdigris.

Condition: There is weathering and modest surface loss resulting from obvious long-term use. Professional repairs were made to the front legs.
   
Primary Color: gold
Earliest Date: 1875
Latest Date: 1890
For Sale Status: Sold
Price SOLD
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