Rooster

Art Historical Context

Behold the spirited *Rooster* carved by Wilhelm Schimmel, masterful exponent of 19th-century American folk. Dating from 1865–90, this diminutive white pine sculpture stands just 5¼ inches tall, capturing the bird's proud strut and alert gaze with lively, expressive carving. Housed in The American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum Art—a gift from Mrs Robert W. de Forest 1933—it exemplifies the Pennsylvania German whittling tradition, where wood scraps were transformed into charming, narrative objects. Schimmel, a self-taught carver from the Pennsylvania Dutch community, gained fame for his whims...