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Portion of a Masonic Weathervane
1800s
Maker not marked
USA
Copper
overall: 24 1/2 x 40 x 27 in.; 62.23 x 101.6 x 68.58 cm
Museum Purchase
2001.016

Copper weathervane with green patina, two intersecting pairs of squares and compasses; pierced by arrow "MT"; possibly missing finial.


This object is a portion of a weathervane. Working in copper, a metalsmith shaped this object in the form of the Masonic symbol of a square and compasses. The arrow that runs through the center would have pointed in the direction of the wind. Although it is not known where this weathervane was used, it shows how fraternal organizations and the symbols they employed were a familiar part of the American landscape in the 1800s. For more information, see blog post, October 14, 2010 http://nationalheritagemuseum.typepad.com/library_and_archives/2010/10/is-the-wind-blowing-from-the-east.html



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