Antique Weathervanes
19th Century American Antique Weathervanes
Copper, Metal
19th Century French Antique Weathervanes
Zinc
Early 20th Century American Antique Weathervanes
Gold Leaf
Early 1800s Great Britain (UK) Georgian Antique Weathervanes
Sheet Metal
Late 19th Century American Folk Art Antique Weathervanes
Copper
19th Century American Antique Weathervanes
Iron, Copper
1870s American Folk Art Antique Weathervanes
Copper
19th Century American Folk Art Antique Weathervanes
Iron
19th Century American Antique Weathervanes
Iron, Sheet Metal
19th Century American Antique Weathervanes
Late 19th Century American Antique Weathervanes
19th Century French Antique Weathervanes
19th Century French Antique Weathervanes
Zinc
Pennsylvania
Sheet Iron with original paint.
Bracing on back.
Provenance: David Wheatcroft
19th Century American Antique Weathervanes
Sheet Metal, Iron
1840s American Folk Art Antique Weathervanes
19th Century French Antique Weathervanes
Copper
19th Century Canadian Antique Weathervanes
Copper, Iron
Early 20th Century American Folk Art Antique Weathervanes
Early 1900s American Brutalist Antique Weathervanes
Steel
19th Century American Folk Art Antique Weathervanes
Copper, Iron
Early 20th Century American Folk Art Antique Weathervanes
Iron
19th Century English Antique Weathervanes
19th Century American Antique Weathervanes
Zinc
19th Century Folk Art Antique Weathervanes
Copper, Zinc
From the Matteson Farm in Shaftsbury, VT.
19th Century American Antique Weathervanes
Copper
Early 20th Century American Antique Weathervanes
1860s European Antique Weathervanes
Zinc
Late 19th Century American Folk Art Antique Weathervanes
Copper
19th Century American Antique Weathervanes
Late 19th Century American Folk Art Antique Weathervanes
Late 19th Century American Folk Art Antique Weathervanes
Copper, Zinc
19th Century American Folk Art Antique Weathervanes
Copper, Iron
Early 20th Century American Antique Weathervanes
Pine
19th Century American Antique Weathervanes
19th Century American Folk Art Antique Weathervanes
Sheet Metal, Iron
Early 20th Century Antique Weathervanes
Sheet Metal, Iron
1880s American Folk Art Antique Weathervanes
Copper, Zinc
1880s American Folk Art Antique Weathervanes
Copper, Zinc
1880s American Folk Art Antique Weathervanes
Late 19th Century American Folk Art Antique Weathervanes
Copper, Iron
Early 20th Century American Folk Art Antique Weathervanes
Iron
19th Century American Antique Weathervanes
Mid-19th Century American Folk Art Antique Weathervanes
Copper
Early 20th Century American Folk Art Antique Weathervanes
Sheet Metal, Iron
19th Century American Antique Weathervanes
19th Century French Antique Weathervanes
Iron
19th Century American Antique Weathervanes
Copper
Early 19th Century French Primitive Antique Weathervanes
Brass, Copper
Mid-18th Century American Folk Art Antique Weathervanes
Copper, Iron
1850s English Early Victorian Antique Weathervanes
Stone, Copper
Early 20th Century American Arts and Crafts Antique Weathervanes
Metal, Brass, Copper, Iron, Sheet Metal
Late 19th Century American American Empire Antique Weathervanes
Copper, Iron
16th Century German Renaissance Antique Weathervanes
Wrought Iron
19th Century American Antique Weathervanes
19th Century American Folk Art Antique Weathervanes
Wood
Early 1900s French Country Antique Weathervanes
Iron
18th Century and Earlier French Antique Weathervanes
Metal
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Antique Weathervanes For Sale on 1stDibs
How Much are Antique Weathervanes?
Finding the Right Weathervanes for You
Whether it’s mounted on a mantel or hung flat against a wall in the living room or entryway, antique and vintage weathervanes can prove a striking decorative touch in your home.
Weathervanes are instruments that indicate wind direction. They are also referred to as wind vanes, wind gauges or weathercocks, but regardless of what we call them, most weathervanes will perform in the same way.
Weathervanes typically consist of a gravity-centered rotating horizontal arrow or other structure that is mounted on a stationary vertical axis. When the wind blows, the horizontal piece moves freely, rotating to indicate the wind’s direction as well as its speed. Andronicus, a Greek astronomer, crafted one of the earliest iterations of the weathervane in approximately 48 B.C. His bronze design featured the head and torso of a man but the tail of a fish. Later, weathervanes could be seen atop church steeples and towers throughout Europe. The oldest weathervane is Italian in origin and assumes the silhouette of a rooster. It is a copper weathervane, said to have originated between 820 and 830 A.D. and can be found in the Museo di Santa Giulia in Brescia, Italy.
Today, antique and vintage weathervanes are collectible sculptural works in any interior. They are celebrated for their place in the rich tradition of American folk art as well as their technological innovation.
Over the course of the 19th century, as the popularity of and demand for weathervanes broadened in the United States, blacksmiths, farmers and other tradesmen created weathervanes in the forms of cows, horses and other animals for barns in rural farmland. Commercial manufacturers in major cities took to producing all manner of weathervanes that were marketed in mail-order catalogs of the era.
When decorating with weathervanes, if you’ve decided against mounting your cast-iron painted horse weathervane on your mantel to complement your farmhouse-style decor, there are other options. You could repurpose your vintage weathervane as a provocative lighting fixture and hang it above your dining-room table, or dot the walls of your mudroom with weathervanes where they might double as racks for coats or other outerwear. Create a gallery-style hang as a focal point in your living room, grouping weathervanes that share a single theme or material. Because weathervanes have taken on many forms over the years, you’re likely to find a style that best fits your personality.
If positioned outdoors, a painted or varnished wood weathervane will resist harsh weather conditions, while copper weathervanes will resist erosion and usually come at an affordable price.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of antique and vintage weathervanes and other folk art today.
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