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THBBlack-Bellied Plover Decoy
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
LiveFeb 15, 2020
Charleston Marriott, 170 Lockwood Blvd., Charleston, SC 29403 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com
View Full Catalog (533)
- Lot Description
Black-Bellied Plover
Cobb Island, VA, c. 1880
10 in. long
Nathan Cobb Sr. (1797-1881) sailed his family south from Cape Cod to the Eastern Shore of Virginia where they settled around 1837. The family brought with them Massachusetts carving concepts, including the refined split-tail carving style adopted by Lothrop Holmes (1824-1899), A. Elmer Crowell (1862-1952), and Joseph Lincoln (1859-1938). The Cobbs developed this style into one of their own. A well-balanced decoy, this plover exhibits pleasing proportions with a gracefully rounded head, full cheeks, and a body that resolves with a precise Cobb Island tail cut. This confident carving, featuring the Cobb’s “V” feathered paint, represents the best of the Southern standard. Birds from this important Cobb rig were first discovered by early collector Somers Headley in Oyster, Virginia. Rigmates drew the attention of the “old guard,” landing in the collections of Bill Purnell, Lloyd Johnson, Dr. James M. McCleery, and Donal C. O’Brien Jr. They were brought to the broader public’s attention in 1980, when Henry A. Fleckenstein Jr. featured this exact decoy and a running curlew rigmate, both from the Purnell Collection, in his seminal shorebird decoy book.
In addition to having a stylized “A” carved on the underside denoting the rig of Albert Cobb, this example also bears the “P” brand for the William H. Purnell Jr. Collection.
Original paint with even wear, including two minor chips to the tail.
Provenance: Albert Cobb Rig
Somers Headly Collection, acquired in the 1950s or 1960s
William H. Purnell Jr. Collection, acquired from the above
Dr. Peter J. Muller Jr. Collection, acquired from the above in 1992
Literature: Henry A. Fleckenstein Jr., "Shore Bird Decoys," Exton, PA, 1980, p. 68, exact decoy illustrated, back dust jacket, p. 111, pl. LXXXII, and p. 130, pl. 146, rigmates illustrated.
Joe Engers, ed., "The Great Book of Wildfowl Decoys," San Diego, CA, 1990, pp. 166-167, rigmate illustrated.
Dr. Lloyd Newberry, "The Saga of Cobb Island," Sporting Classics, Spring/Summer 2018, pp. 140-145, related example illustrated.
Robert H. Richardson, ed., "Chesapeake Bay Decoys," Burtonsville, MD, 1991, p. 204, exact decoy illustrated.
Robert Shaw, "Call to the Sky: The Decoy Collection of James M. McCleery, M.D.," Houston, TX, 1992, p. 83, related example illustrated.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.Condition
- Shipping Info
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Copley Fine Art Auctions does not handle the shipping of any items. Shipping is the sole responsibility of the buyer. Once your payment has cleared and we have received your authorized shipping release form items may be released for shipment. Copley Fine Art Auctions, LLC shall have no liability for any loss or damage to such items. Buyers should allow up to four weeks for shipment. Please email info@copleyart.com for a shipping form. Please be aware that internet bidders may NOT not pick up their items at the sale. Items will be available for pick up by appointment or by shippers five days after the sale.
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