This groundbreaking study reveals the remarkable beauty, historical significance, and technical virtuosity of American vanes fashioned between the late seventeenth and early twentieth centuries and is lavishly illustrated with masterworks from prominent private and public collections.This major American art form has been an enduring part of the landscape since Colonial days. America's first documented vane maker, Shem Drowne of Boston, crafted the iconic golden grasshopper that has topped the city's Faneuil Hall since 1743. Farmers made roosters, cows, and horses for their barns. As the tradition and public demand expanded, so did the diversity of forms. Today, weathervanes hold a well established place in the canon of American folk art.American Weathervanes celebrates this artistry and is the most up-to-date and authoritative work on this subject.Robert Shaw is a critically acclaimed author, curator, and art historian who has written and lectured exten sively on many aspects of American folk art. He has curated exhibitions at the Dallas Museum of Natural History, the National Gallery of Art, and the Shelburne Museum, where he served as curator from 1981 to 1994. The American Folk Art Museum is the premier insti tution devoted to the creative expressions of self-taught artists, past and present