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Exhibition History“American Folk Art: Collection from the Fenimore Art Museum,” Mona Bismarck Foundation, Paris, France, January 25, 2001 – March 24, 2001.
"Drawing on America's Past: Folk Art, Modernism, and the Index of American Design," National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, January 12, 2002 - February 3, 2003.
“Folk Art and American Modernism,” American Folk Art Museum, New York, NY, July 8, 2015 – October 1, 2015; Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, NY, September 18, 2014 – December 31, 2014.
ProvenanceJean and Howard Lipman, Wilton, Connecticut; Stephen C. Clark, Cooperstown, New York
Artist
Unidentified Artist
(American)
Quaker Whirligig
Datec. 1900
MediumPainted wood
DimensionsOverall: 44 1/4 × 10 1/8 × 13 in. (112.4 × 25.7 × 33 cm)
Object numberN0172.1961
Credit LineCollection of the Fenimore Art Museum. Gift of Stephen C. Clark
Photograph by Richard Walker
Label TextAlthough it has medieval European origins, the whirligig reached its fullest development in America. The whirligig, which probably derived from articulated dolls and was inspired by windmills, took two basic forms; a single figure with rotating arms; and more complex multi-part constructions where gears and connecting rods transfer wind power into movement. The "Quaker" whirligig clearly derives from the single-figure variety. It illustrates a range of technical proficiency among 19th century woodcarvers.Exhibition History“American Folk Art: Collection from the Fenimore Art Museum,” Mona Bismarck Foundation, Paris, France, January 25, 2001 – March 24, 2001.
"Drawing on America's Past: Folk Art, Modernism, and the Index of American Design," National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, January 12, 2002 - February 3, 2003.
“Folk Art and American Modernism,” American Folk Art Museum, New York, NY, July 8, 2015 – October 1, 2015; Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, NY, September 18, 2014 – December 31, 2014.
ProvenanceJean and Howard Lipman, Wilton, Connecticut; Stephen C. Clark, Cooperstown, New York
On View
Not on viewc. 1885-1887
