Grotesque Weathervane
This one-of-a-kind weathervane, hand-sculpted from pure copper and silver, measures 27 inches in height with a wingspan of 13 inches. It has a beautiful patina with verdigris highlights. Suitable for a one- or two-story roof; would also look marvelous atop a cupola, finial, gazebo, or above a gated entrance. Of course it could also be displayed indoors as fine art sculpture. It would also be an exquisite piece to display in a garden.
In architecture, grotesques are a style of decorative art that features fantastic human or animal forms, often distorted into absurdity or ugliness. The word is derived from the Italian grotteschi, referring to the grottoes in which these decorations were found c. 1500 during the excavation of Roman houses such as the Golden House of Nero. Grotesque decoration was common on 17th-century English and American case furniture.
First revived in the Renaissance by the school of Raphael in Rome, the grotesque quickly came into fashion in 16th-century Italy and became popular throughout Europe. It remained so until the 19th century, being used most frequently in fresco decoration. Although the animal heads and other motifs sometimes have heraldic or symbolic significance, grotesque ornaments were, in general, purely decorative.