Carved and Polychrome Paint Decorated Pine Spread Wing Eagle, attributed to Wilhelm Schimmel (1817-1890), Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, Circa 1870

Large broad-breasted figure of an American eagle with inset wings, the body, wings, feet, and tail, covered in deeply carved cross-hatching; Some separation of the wings from the body with minor losses to gesso.

Ginsburg & Levy and Company, New York;
Sotheby's, New York, The Estate of Mrs. John Hay Whitney, April 25, 1999, sale 7293, lot 1172.

Some separation of the wings from the body with minor losses to gesso. Now with a varnished surface over the original paint.
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.

Wilhelm Schimmel (1817-1890), itinerant woodcarver active in Cumberland County (near Carlisle), Pennsylvania, and nearby counties, frequently used his carved eagles, birds, fowl and animals as payment for food, spirits and lodgings.  He was born in Germany in 1817, immigrated to the United States after the Civil War, and could, from time to time, be found at Samuel Bloser's carpentry shop where he collected the wood that ultimately he fashioned into his famous carvings.  He died in 1890 at the Cumberland County Almshouse.