1936 Mallard Pair, The Ward Brothers

Lot 67

About Seller

65 Sharp Street
Hingham, MA 02043
United States

Copley Fine Art Auctions is the world's leading American sporting art auction company. Located in Hingham, MA, Copley specializes in antique decoys and 19th- and 20th-century American, sporting, and wildlife paintings. Principal Stephen O'Brien Jr., a fourth-generation sportsman with a refined colle...Read more

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About Auction

The Sporting Sale 2022, Day 1 by Copley Fine Art Auctions

Live

The Sporting Sale 2022, Day 1

By Copley Fine Art Auctions

Jul 14, 2022

Set Reminder 2022-07-14 10:00:00 2022-07-14 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : The Sporting Sale 2022, Day 1 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/copley/the-sporting-sale-2022-day-1-9460 Lots 1-332 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com

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Lot Description

1936 Mallard Pair
The Ward Brothers
Lemuel T. (1896-1984) and Stephen (1895-1976)
Crisfield, MD, c. 1936
17 in. long

“Stephen W. Ward (1895-1976) and his brother Lemuel Travis Ward (1896-1984) of Crisfield, Maryland were by far the most prominent Chesapeake Bay carvers of the twentieth century and among the greatest and most influential bird carvers of all time. The brothers worked closely together throughout their lives, combining the complementary talents of Steve’s hand carving and Lem’s brushwork to create works of extraordinary grace and realism.” — Robert Shaw, “Bird Decoys of North America”

This is among the very finest pairs of Ward mallard decoys. They begin with Steve’s celebrated and classic 1936 form with turned heads, high backs, and thin rounded tails. Lem’s paint is exceptional on both and the hen is especially noteworthy for its refined feather paint.

The underside of the drake is marked with a stamp under the tail reading “Hand Made, Distributed by, VL&A, Chicago, ILL.” This unrigged male also still retains its paper VL&A price tag reading “10.00 EA.” Von Lengerke & Antoinne was the prominent sporting goods retailer of Chicago which had been acquired by Abercrombie & Fitch by the time the Wards made decoys from them. Ron Gard points out in his book on the brothers “It is indeed a credit to the artistry of the Wards, that the prestigious department store, Von Lengerke and Antoine (VL&A), sold the Ward mallard and pintail decoys to hunters throughout the Mississippi Flyway. This area was home to some of the finest decoy makers in America.” Attesting to this drake decoy's exceptional form and paint, it was preserved in its unrigged state as part of a lamp. The hen is signed and dated 1936 by Lem and Steve “with compliments to Ken Longfellow.”
Original paint with even gunning wear to the hen, including rub to right edge of bill tip. The drake has minimal wear and a hairline crack in bill has been cleanly reset, touch-up to back of neck seam and to one-inch spot on back and right side.

Provenance: Private Collection, acquired from RJG Antiques

Literature: Ronald J. Gard and Brian J. McGrath, "The Ward Brothers' Decoys: A Collector's Guide," Plano, TX, 1989, pp. 83-86, related drakes illustrated and discussed.

Condition

Please email condition report requests to colin@copleyart.com. Any condition statement given is a courtesy to customers, Copley will not be held responsible for any errors or omissions. The absence of a condition statement does not imply that the lot is in perfect condition.
Shipping Info
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