Two-headed Eagle with Corner Motifs1860–188013 1/8 × 11 1/8 × 1"Reverse painting and foil on glassGift of Kristina Barbara Johnson1992.17.280Figure of a double sided bird with a fan like tail, a wing outstretched on each side and two heads pointing in opposite directions. Birds are silver with a turquoise feather dividing the bodies. A deep blue feather with hints of beige around edges. Blue and purple floral flourishes around the bird. Blue, turquoise, purple and silver ornamental flourishes in each corner. Black background with a gilt gessoed frame.1530121156Artist unidentifiedPaintingsThe American Folk Art Museum believes this work to be in the public domain. United StatesPaintingsTinsel PaintingPAINTINGThe two-headed eagle, used symbolically for thousands of years, served as the emblem of the Austrian Empire after the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 and was the coat of arms of the German Confederation. This stylized version resembles imagery commonly found in Pennsylvania German folk art, especially nineteenth-century fraktur drawings.
Lee Kogan, "Two-headed Eagle with Corner Motifs," FOILED: Tinsel Painting in America (New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2013), 4818601880 1992 17 28 Tinsel PaintingPAINTINGThe two-headed eagle, used symbolically for thousands of years, served as the emblem of the Austrian Empire after the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806 and was the coat of arms of the German Confederation. This stylized version resembles imagery commonly found in Pennsylvania German folk art, especially nineteenth-century fraktur drawings.
Lee Kogan, "Two-headed Eagle with Corner Motifs," FOILED: Tinsel Painting in America (New York: American Folk Art Museum, 2013), 48