“Bishop’s Hand” Banner Weathervane

SOLD

Attributed to Fiske & Company, New York
Ca. 1880-1900.
Sheet copper, copper tubing, cast zinc
Condition: Great, retains a wonderful verdigris surface.
Provenance: Private collection, Pennsylvania.
A manicule, from the Latin maniculum or ‘little hand’, is a punctuation mark, consisting of a hand with an extended index finger, to direct attention to important text.
The manicule, also known by numerous other names such as bishop’s hand, was in common usage between the 12th and 18th centuries. Although now rarely used in text, the manicule survives as a pleasingly fanciful and delightfully stylized visual symbol in signage and printed advertisements, as is seen here, as an indicator for something of note.