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Unknown Artist American, c1790-1820. Gift of Dorothy C. Miller (Mrs. Holger Cahill, class of 1925). |
The eagle has been used as a symbol of power and victory since ancient times. It was the symbol of Jupiter, king of the Roman gods, and it was carried on the standards of Roman legions. The eagle later became a symbol in Christianity, representing St. John the Evangelist. It also appears as one of the four beasts of the Apocalypse as described in the Book of Revelations. It was adopted as the symbol of the emerging American republic, not coincidentally at a time of a widespread classical (Greek and Roman) revival in art, architecture, literature and philosophy. Characteristics that make it attractive as a symbol include its sharp, clear vision and ability to spot prey from a great distance (thus the phrase "eagle-eyed"); its hunting prowess and great physical strength, particularly in the talons of its feet which can grip, hold, and even kill. The eagle also possesses great speed, and its form and bearing convey a sense of pride and nobility.
Once the eagle was introduced as one of the symbols to represent the newly-formed United States of America, several years passed before it became popular. (Other symbols were proposed, including "Lady Liberty".) Among the people who were not fully convinced of its appropriateness was Benjamin Franklin who criticized the choice because
"[the bald eagle] is a bird of bad moral character; he does not get his living honestly; you may have seen him perched on some dead tree, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the labor of the fishinghawk; and when that diligent bird has at length taken a fish and is bearing it to his nest for the support of his mate and young ones, the bald eagle pursues him, and takes it from him....Besides, he is a rank coward; the little kingbird, not bigger than a sparrow, attacks him...and drives him out of the district. He is therefore by no means a proper emblem....The turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America....He is, besides, ...a bird of courage, and would not hesitate to attack a grenadier of the British guards, who should presume to invade his farmyard with a red coat on. . . ."1
The Sculpture
The eagle, carved from Eastern white pine, is thought to be a Steller’s sea eagle, identified by the distinctive hook of its beak and the tuft of feathers on the top of its head, here translated as a furrowed brow. While there is no record of the artist who created this eagle, by comparing it with other carved eagles scholars have concluded that it was made in New England and is from the period that marks the beginning of the American republic. This identification is made on the basis of features such as the type of wood, the shape and features of the head, and the carving style used for the feathers.
The eagle was at one time heavily painted with bronze powder paint with traces of gilt over gesso. Although little remains of these layers, their original thickness, as well as extensive wear on parts of the sculpture, suggests that the piece may have been placed outdoors at some point during its lifetime. As was often the case with large bird sculptures of wide wingspread, the wings were carved separately and attached with metal straps across the back of the body.2 Examination of the two wings reveals that the feathers on the left wing are of a different artistic style and show a more sophisticated carving technique than the feathers on the right wing. Scholars have suggested that they were carved by two different people, possibly by a master carver and an apprentice, or that the right wing was a later replacement.
The function of the Museum’s sculpture is uncertain. The fact that the back is uncarved, and that there is a hole on the underside of the body which might accommodate a supporting pipe or rod suggests that the eagle was meant to be seen from the front, and probably from below. It may have been intended for placement on a cupola or flagpole or atop a pediment on the façade of a building, or possibly it may have been a figurehead on a ship. The fine quality of the carving of the feathers and other details indicates that it was probably placed at a height from which viewers could take note of the carving.
While fragments of the eagle’s feet are missing, comparison with other eagles from the same general period suggests that the feet were probably holding something, perhaps a shield or a shield in one foot and a bunch of arrows in the other. Both of these accessories would have been typical of the time period. Early in its use as a national symbol the eagle represented power, strength, and war (as opposed to liberty) and was often seen in poses that reflected those qualities. After the Civil War, the poses and accessories became less warlike. The eagle on the back of today’s dollar bills clutches an olive branch in one foot and a bunch of arrows in the other.
- Isaacson, p. 43.
- Hornung, Treasury, vol. II, p. 817
Bibliography
Hornung, Clarence P. Treasury of American Design (New
York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1950).
Hornung, Clarence P. The American Eagle in Art and Design (New York: Dover
Publications, 1978).
Isaacson, Philip M. The American Eagle (Boston:
New York Graphic Society, 1975).