Figure of an Eagle

Unknown

1800–1830 · Pine, oil gilding, iron · The American Wing

The American bald eagle was adopted by the United States Congress for the national seal in 1782. It soon became the most popular of patriotic decorative motifs. This carved-and-gilded eagle, with its wings proudly spread, is posed on a rocklike base. One of the largest of its type, it may have been the work of a carver of ship figureheads; however, it does not appear to have been used as a ship’s ornament or placed on the outside of a building, as it shows no signs of weathering.

Artist

Unknown

Date

1800–1830

Medium

Pine, oil gilding, iron

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Purchase, Bequest of Ella Morris de Peyster, by exchange, 1959