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Eagle

1865–90
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 731
The surviving body of brightly painted carved birds and animals attributed to the German émigré artist Wilhelm Schimmel represents one of the best known groups of American folk carving. Schimmel arrived about 1860 in Pennsylvania’s Cumberland Valley and found support within the close-knit community of German and Scotch-Irish farmers, who purchased or traded food and lodging for his work. Using a common folding pocket knife, Schimmel carved deep, angular cuts to articulate his eagle, then applied a white primer and common house paints. His student Aaron Mountz would continue this carving tradition into the early twentieth century.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Eagle
  • Maker: Wilhelm Schimmel (1817–1890)
  • Date: 1865–90
  • Geography: Made in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: White pine, painted
  • Dimensions: 12 x 19 1/4 in. (30.48 x 48.9 cm)
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Robert W. de Forest, 1933
  • Object Number: 34.100.169
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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Birds, Wilhelm Schimmel American, White pine, painted, American
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