Woman and Tree with Birds Nesting

Unidentified, Woman and Tree with Birds Nesting, after 1900, carved and painted wood with metal, 17 ¹⁄₂ x 10 ⁵⁄₈ x 8 ¹⁄₈ in. (44.3 x 26.9 x 20.5 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.340

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Artwork Details

Title: Woman and Tree with Birds Nesting
Artist: Unidentified
Date: after 1900
Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum
/
Luce Foundation Center
/
3rd Floor
/
27A
Dimensions: 17 ¹⁄₂ x 10 ⁵⁄₈ x 8 ¹⁄₈ in. (44.3 x 26.9 x 20.5 cm.)
Credit Line: Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
Mediums: brass
wood
paint
Mediums Description: carved and painted wood with metal
Classifications: Sculpture
Subjects: Figure female — full length
Animal — bird
Landscape — tree
Object Number: 1986.65.340
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1986.65.340

Artwork Description

In this sculpture the curved, hollow nest in front of the woman’s stomach suggests pregnancy. The eggs in the nest, watched over by two birds, also symbolize new life and family. The carving may have been given as a good-luck charm to a friend or relation who was expecting a child.