Antique Wellhead
Encyclopedia
Antique Wellhead is a European marble and iron wellhead located on the historic Oldfields
estate on the campus of the Indianapolis Museum of Art
(IMA), in Indianapolis
, Indiana. Originally designed for the function of marking the well and keeping passersby from falling into it, this wellhead was reused as a garden feature. (See puteal
for the classical ancestor of this wellhead type.)
with an entablature
above it. At the base it is circular and rises to a wider diameter, then is topped by a squared section resembling an architectural frieze on all four sides. The lower zone of the capital is richly decorated with swag and foliage; this is separated from the upper zone by a simple horizontal band. The upper zone is divided into four sections by acanthus leaf sprays projecting out beneath the four corners of the squared block above it; between each cluster is a large circular medallion with a symbol on it. Those on the front and back sides show a fleur-de-lis
, while the left and right sides display a heraldic
heater shield
with a bend gemel (a double diagonal stripe from the upper, proper right corner); the medallions with the shield are surrounded by trailing ribbons. The frieze is decorated with vertical, uniformly spaced glyphs, bordered on top and bottom by horizontal molded bands.
The center is hollowed out in a cylinder with a diameter of approximately 22 inches.
The overthrow stands on shafts made of extruded steel pipes, which are anchored to the wellhead with bolted feet. A crossbar of the same material supports the pulley system on a single, central hook. The overthrow is topped by two wrought bars meeting at the top to form a triangle; the crossbar and bars above are decorated with a series of cast iron fleurs-de-lis and curled strips of wrought iron. All of the exposed metal is painted black.
The step is made out of several rectangular blocks of limestone laid into an approximate square and joined with mortar.
. The IMA assigned the wellhead Accession Number 76.117.
The shields illustrated on this wellhead could be studied for possible identification of the original owners or patrons of the well, though any paint that may have indicated the tincture
is long gone, and the carving has eroded slightly.
It is likely that for practicality the stone step was built for the wellhead in the United States, rather than shipped from abroad. It may even have been created in Indiana after the wellhead was shipped from New York for the same reason. The step was definitely in use at the aforementioned Indianapolis residence and given to the IMA with the wellhead. The blocks would have been dismantled and re-mortared by the IMA upon installation.
The overthrow, separated from the wellhead itself, is stored in the Grounds Barn. The dismantled step is stored near the wellhead; both are located outside the Barn. The pulley is missing.
Oldfields
Oldfields also known as Lilly House and Gardens, is a 26 acre historic estate and house museum on the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The estate, an example of the American country house movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was...
estate on the campus of the Indianapolis Museum of Art
Indianapolis Museum of Art
The Indianapolis Museum of Art is an encyclopedic art museum located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The museum, which underwent a $74 million expansion in 2005, is located on a campus on the near northwest area outside downtown Indianapolis, northwest of Crown Hill Cemetery.The...
(IMA), in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana. Originally designed for the function of marking the well and keeping passersby from falling into it, this wellhead was reused as a garden feature. (See puteal
Puteal
A puteal was a classical wellhead, round or sometimes square, set round a well opening to keep people from falling in. Such well heads might be of marble, enriched with bas-reliefs...
for the classical ancestor of this wellhead type.)
Description
This wellhead is carved from a single large block of stone and topped with a wrought iron overthrow; it sits on a simple step or base that was accessioned as part of the object but may not be original to it. The stone block is carved to resemble a colossal column capitalCapital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
with an entablature
Entablature
An entablature refers to the superstructure of moldings and bands which lie horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and are commonly divided into the architrave , the frieze ,...
above it. At the base it is circular and rises to a wider diameter, then is topped by a squared section resembling an architectural frieze on all four sides. The lower zone of the capital is richly decorated with swag and foliage; this is separated from the upper zone by a simple horizontal band. The upper zone is divided into four sections by acanthus leaf sprays projecting out beneath the four corners of the squared block above it; between each cluster is a large circular medallion with a symbol on it. Those on the front and back sides show a fleur-de-lis
Fleur-de-lis
The fleur-de-lis or fleur-de-lys is a stylized lily or iris that is used as a decorative design or symbol. It may be "at one and the same time, political, dynastic, artistic, emblematic, and symbolic", especially in heraldry...
, while the left and right sides display a heraldic
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
heater shield
Heater shield
The heater shield or heater-shaped shield is a form of European medieval shield, developing from the early medieval kite shield in ca. the mid 13th century....
with a bend gemel (a double diagonal stripe from the upper, proper right corner); the medallions with the shield are surrounded by trailing ribbons. The frieze is decorated with vertical, uniformly spaced glyphs, bordered on top and bottom by horizontal molded bands.
The center is hollowed out in a cylinder with a diameter of approximately 22 inches.
The overthrow stands on shafts made of extruded steel pipes, which are anchored to the wellhead with bolted feet. A crossbar of the same material supports the pulley system on a single, central hook. The overthrow is topped by two wrought bars meeting at the top to form a triangle; the crossbar and bars above are decorated with a series of cast iron fleurs-de-lis and curled strips of wrought iron. All of the exposed metal is painted black.
The step is made out of several rectangular blocks of limestone laid into an approximate square and joined with mortar.
Historical information
In 1930 the wellhead was purchased by a wealthy Indianapolis resident in 1930 from a family in New York City. In 1976 he donated the wellhead to the IMA along with Sundial, Boy With SpiderSundial, Boy With Spider
Sundial, Boy With Spider is an outdoor sculpture and functional sundial by American artist Willard Dryden Paddock . It is located within the Oldfields estate on the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art , in Indianapolis, Indiana...
. The IMA assigned the wellhead Accession Number 76.117.
Provenance
This wellhead is representative of the type of wellhead used in Europe, notably in Venice, before the 20th century. Venetian wells gave residents access to cisterns of fresh water beneath the city, and the wellheads were often decorated with similar architectural and heraldic features. When the wells became obsolete the wellheads were reused in European garden decoration. This wellhead was likely a functional piece in Europe, possibly Italy, and may have been imported to the United States to serve as decoration.The shields illustrated on this wellhead could be studied for possible identification of the original owners or patrons of the well, though any paint that may have indicated the tincture
Tincture (heraldry)
In heraldry, tinctures are the colours used to emblazon a coat of arms. These can be divided into several categories including light tinctures called metals, dark tinctures called colours, nonstandard colours called stains, furs, and "proper". A charge tinctured proper is coloured as it would be...
is long gone, and the carving has eroded slightly.
It is likely that for practicality the stone step was built for the wellhead in the United States, rather than shipped from abroad. It may even have been created in Indiana after the wellhead was shipped from New York for the same reason. The step was definitely in use at the aforementioned Indianapolis residence and given to the IMA with the wellhead. The blocks would have been dismantled and re-mortared by the IMA upon installation.
Location history
The wellhead was originally placed near the arbor of the orchard. Over time the iron overthrow rusted until it no longer supported itself. In early 2009 the deteriorated piece was moved to the Grounds Barn, to be kept out of view until the IMA was prepared to restore it.The overthrow, separated from the wellhead itself, is stored in the Grounds Barn. The dismantled step is stored near the wellhead; both are located outside the Barn. The pulley is missing.