Weathervane (Dove of Peace)

Status

On view

Label Text

"I should like to have a bird (in place of the Vain) with an olive branch in its Mouth…" - George Washington to Joseph Rakestraw, Philadelphia, July 20, 1787

While presiding over the Constitutional Convention during the summer of 1787, George Washington took advantage of being in Philadelphia to commission master builder Joseph Rakestraw to construct a weathervane for his cupola. Washington determined the ornament's dove-of-peace design. He also instructed his nephew George Augustine Washington, who oversaw the weathervane's installation that August, to paint "the bill of the bird…black, and the Olive branch in its mouth…green." Drawing on classical iconography, Washington's weathervane symbolized domestic peace for the new nation that would endure no matter which way or how hard the winds of time might blow.

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Date1787

Retailer Joseph Rakestraw (American, 1735 - 1794)

Geography Made - United States

Medium/TechniqueCopper, iron, lead, gilt, paint (ornament), wrought iron (rod and directionals), gilded copper (ball)

DimensionsOverall (Dove of Peace): 34 3/4 in. × 42 1/2 in. (88.27 cm × 107.95 cm)

Credit LineTransferred to the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association through the generosity of John Augustine Washington III, 1860

Object numberW-2492

DescriptionWeathervane with ornament in the shape of a dove with outspread wings and an olive branch (painted green) in its beak (painted black). Mounted on a wrought iron rod with iron directional held in place with forged nails and a large gilded copper ball below. The dove is made in three parts: the body from copper bound with iron strips, the bill and olive branch from one piece of iron, and the head of lead (to balance the weight).

Alternate names for this form include: weather vane, wind vane.

Published ReferencesShaw, Robert, American Weathervanes: The Art of the Winds (New York: Rizzoli Electa, 2021), pp. 26-27.

Bishop, Robert and Patricia Coblentz, A Gallery of American Weathervanes and Whirligigs (New York: E. P. Dutton, 1981), pp. 12-13.

Cadou, Carol Borchert, The George Washington Collection: Fine and Decorative Arts at Mount Vernon (New York: Hudson Hills Press, 2006), pp. 122-23, 206-7.

Rees, James C. Treasures from Mount Vernon: George Washington Revealed (Mount Vernon, VA: The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association, 1999), p. 90.

MarkingsOn top of ball (in impresed sans serif letters): "10/74 D. ORFFMAN" (this refers to Don Orffman who regilded the ball in 1974). Incised near bottom of ball (directly below Orffman's mark): "SDM" and "5/18/87(?)". On bottom of ball (THIS NEEDS TO BE VERIFIED AND IMAGE TAKEN): "PA(M?)Co/ Philadelphia Copper/ J. Raikstraw"* *Mark was recored in 1946 when weathervane was removed for repairs and refinishing. Carol Cadou and Laura Simo looked at the ball on 4/9/07 but saw no evidence of this mark.

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