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  CARVED WOODEN EAGLE OF THE EARLY 19TH CENTURY, WITH EXUBERANT, THREE-DIMENSIONAL FORM AND A NEARLY 6-FOOT WINGSPAN, PERCHED ON A ROCKY OUTCROP
Dimensions (inches): 28" tall x 68" wide x 17"deep
Description:
Carved wooden eagle with substantial scale, form, and presence. Made sometime between approximately 1830 and 1850 (though possibly prior), the elongated head, bent hard to its proper left, has a prominent, spherical eye and a voluptuous, round beak. Feathers flow back gently from the bird’s equally hard brow, transitioning into a body and wings that are expertly and intricately carved. The stance is warlike, with wings outstretched and dominant.

Almost certainly used outdoors, the surface is likely to have once been gilded. Warn completely away, what remains is a very attractive, beautifully weathered, dry patina, with ghostly traces of white gesso. With a nearly six-foot wingspan, this is a huge, three-dimensional carving, just under 2.5 feet tall and 17 inches deep. Perched on a rocky outcrop, the tail of the bird is bent toward the proper left and the wing on this side is raised slightly higher.

Condition: Various age cracks and separations, some with glued repairs over time. Some of the early nails appear to be original, and some added later for strength. Some looseness, but overall very sturdy. Two purposeful holes, between the talons on the left leg, may have at one time held an element that is now absent, or they may, alternatively, been included to hold small parade flags on special occasions.
   
Primary Color: natural wood, brown
Earliest Date: 1820
Latest Date: 1850
For Sale Status: Sold
Price SOLD
E-mail: info@jeffbridgman.com
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