Black Man or "Darky" Whirligig - Sold

Origin: American, c. 1880

Material: Carved and painted pine.

Dimensions: 39 x 13 x 4 1/4 inches.

 

This large scale African-American Folk Art male figure whirligig features a wonderful stylized slender body with top hat and beautiful original painted surface in red, yellow, and black. The large size, great crackled surface, and whimsical presence of this whirligig makes it a fun and outstanding rare folk sculpture.

 

Reference:

American Folk Sculpture, by Robert Bishop, 1974, p. 371, fig.698 for another whirligig executed by this unknown artist.

Also, A Gallery of American weathervanes and Whirligigs, by Robert Bishop and Patricia Coblentz, 1981, p. 109, fig. 196