Black-Bellied Plover Decoy, Lothrop T. Holmes (1824-1899)

Lot 168

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

Black-Bellied Plover
Lothrop T. Holmes (1824-1899)
Kingston, MA, c. 1860
10 3/4 in. long

Unlike many professional carvers who earned a living selling their decoys, Lothrop Holmes, of Kingston, Massachusetts, only carved decoys for his own rig, which he used along the marshes of the Jones River and Duxbury Bay. Lothrop Turner Holmes is one of the earliest documented shorebird makers from any region and is widely known to be one of the very top decoy makers of the 19th century.

This sophisticated decoy features everything that astute collectors look for in a Massachusetts shorebird decoy, including exceptional form, spectacular blended feather paint, split-tail carving, and stellar condition.

This plover and one other are believed to be the only known survivors from this important rig that features the maker's tremendous wing and feather paint.
Original paint with light gunning wear and a replaced bill.

Provenance: William C. McMaster M.D. Collection

Literature: John M. Levinson and Somers G. Headley, "Shorebirds: The Birds, The Hunters, The Decoys," Centreville, MD, 1991, p. 57, rigmate illustrated. Gwladys Hopkins, "Massachusetts Masterpieces," Lincoln, MA, 2016, pp. 13 and 44, related plover illustrated.

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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