Collections Database

Description:
gold colored carved eagle with wings partially spread and head down; bird

Label Text:
This eagle may have been a ship’s figurehead, but more likely it sat atop a building or a flagpole. The lack of carving on the back indicates that it was designed to be seen from below; the exaggerated neck, brow, and beak would also have read well from a distance. The layers of paint and wear to the beak, wings, and claws suggest that it was displayed outdoors.

This sculpture was a gift to the Museum from Dorothy Miller, a graduate of Smith College and the first curator of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, where she worked from 1935 until 1969. She had a deep interest in early American art and helped organize the first major exhibition of American folk art in 1933.

Tags:
birds; allegory; politics

Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=SC+1969.83

Research on objects in the collections, including provenance, is ongoing and may be incomplete. If you have additional information or would like to learn more about a particular object, please email fc-museums-web@fivecolleges.edu.