Weather Vane
c. 1400 - c. 1950
Medium
iron (metal)
Dimensions
41; 2; 53.5
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Een windwijzer in de vorm van een haringbuis met gestreken grote mast. De fokkemast is schuin geplaatst.
Art Historical Context
Perched atop roofs or towers, this anonymous iron weather vane captures the spirit of Dutch maritime prowess in the form of a *haringbuis*—a specialized herring fishing vessel iconic to the Netherlands from the 15th to 19th centuries. Crafted between c. 1400 and c. 1950, it depicts the ship with its main mast lowered (*gestreken grote mast*) and foremastanted obliquely, evoking a vessel at rest or in harbor after a bountiful catch. Measuring 41 cm high, 53.5 cm wide, and just 2 cm deep, its flat, silhouetted profile was designed for functionality, pivoting with the wind while serving as a prou...
About the Artist
anonymous
In the vast tapestry of art history, "Anonymous" stands not as a singular individual but as a collective designation for countless unidentified creators whose works have endured across millennia. These artists, spanning prehistoric cave painters to medieval illuminators and folk craftsmen, produced the foundational layers of human visual culture. Prior to the Renaissance, when individual fame emer...