Polo Players Weathervane, c.1926

Evolving out of his two-dimensional silhouette cutouts, Diederich’s wrought iron pieces combined the decorative with the practical.  According to his daughter, Diana Blake, his “work in cast iron was a very important part of his life, perhaps the most important.”^[1]  No doubt, the artist enjoyed the contrast between the dark, inflexible heaviness of the material and the lively, seemingly weightless designs that ultimately resulted.  Embodying these stylistic qualities, this weathervane from the mid-1920s depicts two polo players in the heat of competition. Fully extended from head to tail, one horse is bound at full speed. The other, rearing in pose, pauses for the player to strike the ball. Both players have mallets raised to action and garments billowing in the wind, certainly capturing a rousing moment in the match.

The elongation of forms creates an electrifying sense of dynamism and fluidity, exhibiting both elegance and speed.  A complex, interlocking arrangement of streamlined torsos, limbs and heads, these polo players attest to Diederich’s superb use of negative space to create a thoughtful composition and design. Diederich continues his use of negative space in the modernist arches below the players. This arch design both provides balance to the motif above and functions as a “sail” to capture the wind. As a result, the “sail” blows away from the wind direction and rotates the polo players to be playing against the wind. One need only look to the directional markers, initialed for north, east, south and west to determine the direction of a coming storm or change in weather. Overall, this rare example of a complete weathervane by Hunt Diederich superbly exhibits his passion for animals, his unique and intelligent design, his modernist approach and his skill as an iron worker and sculptor. Combined, such characteristics evolve into a weathervane at the apex of sophistication and early American modernism.