Woman and Tree with Birds Nesting

Copied Unidentified, Woman and Tree with Birds Nesting, after 1900, carved and painted wood with metal, 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
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
Mediums Description
carved and painted wood with metal
Classifications
Keywords
  • Landscape — tree
  • Animal — bird
  • Figure female — full length
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.