Prancing Horse Attributed to J. Whitticker, Carved wood weathervane circa 1860, height 29 in. by length 33 in.

This unique wooden horse and another one in the Tieger Collection offer a rare opportunity to compare two examples of the work of a talented nineteenth-century woodcarver. While little is known of J. Whitticker, similarity of style and construction indicate that both of these weathervanes were made by the same hand. Variation on a theme, they reveal that their carver strove to create individualized interpretation of his subject. Litterature: Kenneth Fitzgerald, Weathervane and Whirligigs (New York: Clarkson N. Potter, 1967) p. 95; Art and Antiques, January 1985, pp, 44 - 45; Tom Geismar and Harvey Khan, Spiritually Moving: A Collection of American Folk Art Sculpture (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1998) cat, no. 20, illus.. in color. This is a larger of the two similar horse vanes attributed to Whittaker in the Tieger Collection. Because it is about five inches longer and nine inches taller than the other vane, the carver had to add a piece of wood to either side to make its width proportional.