Carved and painted wood English setter weathervane pattern, attributed to Henry Leach (1809-1885) Boston, circa 1871

Herbert Waide Hemphill Jr., New York
Sotheby Parke-Bernet, January 28-29 and 31, 1987, lot 1099

"The Herbert Waide Hemphill Collection of Eighteenth-, Nineteenth-, and Twentieth-Century American Folk Art," Heritage Plantation, Sandwich, Massachusetts, 1974
"Bicentennial Cultural Exhibition," United States Information Agency and Japanese Government, Tokyo, 1976
"The All-American Dog: Man's Best Friend in Folk Art," American Folk Art Museum, 1977-78
"Vision: USA," Museum of International Folk Art, Santa Fe, NM, 1978
"The Art of the Weathervane," American Folk Art Museum, 1979/80

Bicentennial Cultural Exhibition. Tokyo: United States Information Agency and Japanese Government, 1976, fig. 77
Bishop, Robert. The All-American Dog: Man's Best Friend in Folk Art. New York: Avon Books in association with American Folk Art Museum, 1978, p. 10
Bishop, Robert, and Patricia Coblentz. A Gallery of Weathervanes and Whirligigs. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1981, p. 19
Heritage Plantation. The Herbert Waide Hemphill Collection of Eighteenth-, Nineteenth-, and Twentieth-Century American Folk Art. Sandwich, Massachusetts: Heritage Plantation, 1974, p. 32
Kaye, Myrna. Yankee Weathervanes. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1975, p. 144 (rendering)
American Radiance, The Ralph Esmerian Gift to the American Folk Art Museum, p. 341, fig. 306

Some horizontal age cracks. Old repair left back leg.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Wooden patterns like these were the first step in the production of most hollow-bodied copper weathervanes in the second half of the 19th century. Cast-iron molds were made from the patterns, into which sheets of copper were hand-hammered. Alternatively, the larger workshops added another step to the process. Molten lead was poured into the mold, forming a positive and a negative impression. A copper sheet was placed between the iron mold and the lead and hammered into shape. Details were then sharpened by hand before the weathervane was soldered and gilded. -R.S.