Attributed to Wilhelm Schimmel (1817 - 1890)

Figurine of parrot on basket of flowers

1865-1870

Place madePennsylvania, United States, North America

Wood, paint, primer

Overall: 4 3/8 x 3 3/8 x 2 1/2 in. ( 11.1 x 8.6 x 6.4 cm )

Purchased from Elie Nadelman

1937.1113

This object was once part of the folk art collection of Elie Nadelman (1882-1946), the avant-garde sculptor. From 1924 to 1934, Nadelman's collection was displayed in his Museum of Folk Arts, located in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. The Historical Society purchased Nadelman's entire collection in 1937. An untrained and prolific woodcarver, Wilhelm Schimmel was a German-born itinerant who worked during the late nineteenth century within the German and Anglo-Irish communities in rural Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Despite drunken behavior that often landed him in jail, Schimmel earned the support of local families, who gave him wood for whittling his animal figures. In addition to eagles, Schimmel’s favorite subjects were fanciful farm and domestic animals, which may have been influenced by the chalkware figures that were in wide circulation at the time. Schimmel shaped his figures from scavenged pieces of wood with a folding penknife, embellishing them by applying paint―usually greens, reds, whites, yellows, and black―over a thin ground of gesso-like material. He frequently used common household paints or leftover colors most likely received from sympathetic neighbors and hosts. The Nadelmans began acquiring Schimmel carvings in 1929.

DescriptionYellow bird with red and black spots; cactus with red and yellow berries and green leaves (two leaves missing).

ClassificationsDECORATIVE SCULPTURE

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