A weather-cock, with a genus blowing a trumpet (fol. c v recto) 1499

Editor: This is an image of an anonymous work entitled "A weather-cock, with a genus blowing a trumpet," housed at the Harvard Art Museums. It's so simple, almost like a child's drawing. What do you make of this charming little guy? Curator: Ah, yes, the jaunty trumpeter atop his winged perch. He reminds me of a whispered secret, a playful nudge towards the fickle nature of fortune, wouldn't you agree? He's both frivolous and deeply symbolic. What winds do you think he's calling? Editor: Well, I see him more as announcing the weather. Curator: Perhaps. Or perhaps he’s just blowing his own horn. Art, after all, is what happens when the wind changes. Editor: I guess there's more than one way to read a weathervane.