A FINE CARVED AND PAINTED PINE AMERICAN EAGLE WALL PLAQUE: DUM VIVIMUS VIVAMUS, JOHN HALEY BELLAMY (1836-1914), KITTERY POINT, YORK COUNTY MAINE, CIRCA 1890

Christie's New York, The Kendra and Allen Daniel Collection, January 20, 2001, sale 9686, lot 566;

Marguerite Riordan, Stonington, Connecticut.

John Halley Bellamy’s distinctive eagles were once the standard decoration for the shops and homes of Kittery, Maine and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with many of the smaller plaques, such as this example, gifted to friends. This classic Bellamy eagle exemplifies subtle techniques the master carver employed, which allowed him to create one of the most successful forms of American vernacular sculpture. Carved from two joined pieces of Maine white pine, the long back piece that forms the wingspan and tail is only one inch thick, just enough space to allow for a sharp roll at the top edges of the wings creating the illusion of depth. The half-inch from the tip of the wing to the tail is similarly shallow; however, Bellamy’s graceful sweeps of incised decoration and low-relief layering of feathers succeeds in transforming this flat piece of ordinary pine into a powerful bird in flight.