Lot Essay
The 1893 catalogue for J.W. Fiske and Company, New York City, illustrates a variety of banneret weathervanes each of which bears features similar to the weathervane illustrated here. A weathervane illustrated as No. 403 Banneret has pierced stars and crescent moons in its central field, while No. 405 has a curling inverted vine and flower similar to that opposite the pierced star seen here. Several weathervanes from this catalogue are embellished with applied floral ornaments and include catalogue Nos. 380, 308 and 563 (see J.W. Fiske 1893: The American Historical Catalog Collection (Princetion, 1971), pp. 78-79, 88, 93 and 98).