Kovels Antiques & Collecting: Eagle Symbolism
By Terry and Kim Kovel
Eagle Symbolism
The Fourth of July is a time to display American symbols like stars and stripes; red, white and blue; Uncle Sam, Lady Liberty and, of course, the majestic eagle. The bald eagle became the national bird of the United States with the creation of the Great Seal in 1782. Eagle symbolism was already well established by then.
Folk art is an important part of American history. American symbols, especially eagles, are favorite subjects, like this wooden sculpture attributed to artist Wilhelm Schimmel. PHOTO CREDIT: Kovels.com
Eagles are sacred to many Native American nations. European colonists brought their own eagle symbolism to the Americas. Eagles were associated with the divine in mythological pantheons and appeared in heraldry. The eagle, "aquila" in Latin, was used as a standard by ancient Roman legions. "Aquila" is also the name of a prominent constellation in the summer skies of the Northern Hemisphere.
Eagles also appear in American folk art. This carved and painted wooden eagle, wings outstretched like the eagle on the Great Seal, sold for $5,000 at Brunk Auctions. It is attributed to Wilhelm Schimmel, who emigrated from Germany to the United States in the late 19th century. Wandering around Pennsylvania, having run-ins with the law, doing odd jobs at farms and selling his wooden carvings, he was something of a folkloric figure himself.
Q: I'd like some information about Wallace Nutting and his work. One of his pictures has been in my family for over 50 years. The words "The Swimming Pool" are written below the picture on one side and it's signed "Wallace Nutting" on the other side. There are some stains, water spots and discoloration. It's in the original frame.
A: Wallace Nutting (1861-1941) was known for his colored pictures of New England landscapes and Colonial interiors. He also made reproduction furniture and wrote several books. Nutting opened Wallace Nutting Art Prints in New York in 1904. He moved to Connecticut in 1905 and then to Framingham, Massachusetts, in 1912. Collectors call his pictures "prints," but they are hand-tinted photographs. Nutting took the photographs and his staff printed, colored, titled, signed and framed the pictures. Millions of copies were sold. There are over 10,000 different titles. Twelve of the pictures were reprinted by machine in the 1930s and early '40s. Some prints sell for $10 to $20, some for over $100. If the picture is in poor condition, it will be hard to sell.
TIP: Don't frame a good print in a clip frame. There should be air space between the paper and the glass.
CURRENT PRICES
Textile, bunting, red, white and blue, five stripes, blue center stripe with fiv stars, two brass grommets, cotton, c. 1900, 39 x 58 inches, $260.
Toy, train set, Canadian Pacific, locomotive, tender, passenger cars, track, transformer, tin lithograph, box, Marx, 14 x 16 inches, $610.
Barber, chair, Congress, red velvet cushions, hydraulic pedestal, silver tone fittings, Koken, 44 1/2 x 26 x 45 inches, $750.
Pottery, bowl, Hopi, turned-in rim, tapered base, migration pattern, black trim, signed, Fannie Nampeyo, 3 x 4 3/4 inches, $805.
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