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THBCanada Goose by The Ward Brothers, Lemuel T. (1896-1984) and Stephen (1895-1976)
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 12, 2016 - Feb 13, 2016
Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com
View Full Catalog (481)
- Lot Description
The Ward Brothers, Lemuel T. (1896-1984) and Stephen (1895-1976)
Crisfield, MD, c.1936
“…the reputation of Lem and Steve spread throughout the Chesapeake region, and they produced decoys for gunners in the Upper Bay as well. A few of the gunning clubs ordered Ward decoys, and in some cases a particular Ward style became associated with a specific club. One example is the Canada goose model carved for the Bishops Head Gun Club of Dorchester County.” – C. John Sullivan, "Waterfowling on the Chesapeake, 1819-1936"
In the 1930s the Ward Brothers received a custom order for goose decoys from Colonel Albanus Phillips for his gun club just south of Cambridge, Maryland. Phillips was widely known throughout the Eastern Shore and Presidents Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt were believed to have been guests at his lodge.
Historically, Phillips used dozens of live goose decoys at his Bishops Head Gun Club in Dorchester County; however, in 1935 the federal government banned the use of live decoys. Following this announcement Lem, Steve, and the Colonel met to design and create the Wards’ very best gunning model for his club.
Bishops Head was a two-story lodge with its own man-made tidal pool. Phillips originally purchased the eight square mile property in 1921 for the sole purpose of using it as a private game preserve. The lodge had a large great room with a fireplace, a locker room, and bedrooms on the second level. There was also a caretaker's house, live decoy pens, kennels, and a boat dock. The boat dock was often used by members of the Cambridge Yacht Club, which Phillips also founded. An avid hunter, this camp provided Phillips, his brother Levi, and W. Grayson Winterbottom (their business partner) with a place of respite from their booming food canning business. At the time Bishops Head was considered one of the Eastern Shore's great hunting clubs.
Of the numerous goose patterns designed by the Ward brothers, the Bishops Head Gun Club model is the most coveted. It exhibits a long reaching neck that gracefully moves the head forward in an appealing swimming position. This example with its bold body possesses Lem’s deep-cut wing delineation and highly defined carving under the tail. With its full cheek carving, articulated bill profile, and crescent-shaped cheek delineation, this bird exemplifies the finest of the Bishops Head style. The decoy displays an appealing dry surface with Lem's detailed feather paint which echoes Steve's distinct carving style.
This decoy has impressive provenance coming from the collections of William J. Mackey and Dr. James M. McCleery. The underside bears the "McCLEERY" stamp, is inscribed "Made by L. T. Ward, Crisfield, MD, -1936-," and is signed "Steve Ward, Lem Ward."
Provenance: William J. Mackey, Jr. Collection
Dr. James M. McCleery Collection
Private Collection
Literature: Ronald J. Gard and Brian J. McGrath, "The Ward Brothers' Decoys: A Collector's Guide," Wolfe City, TX, 1989, plate 100, pp 107-108, exact decoy illustrated. Sotheby's and Guyette & Schmidt, "American Waterfowl Decoys: The Distinguished Collection of Dr. James M. McCleery," New York, NY, 2000, lot 489, exact decoy illustrated. Robert H. Richardson, "Chesapeake Bay Decoys: The Men Who Made and Used Them," Burtonsville, MD, 1991, dust jacket and p. 119. Joe Engers, ed., "The Great Book of Wildfowl Decoys," San Diego, CA, 1990, pp. 148-149, rigmate illustrated. C. John Sullivan, "Waterfowling on the Chesapeake, 1819-1936." Baltimore, MD, 2003. Robert Shaw, "Call to the Sky: The Decoy Collection of James M. McCleery, M.D.," Houston, TX, 1992, pp. 76-77, exact decoy illustrated.Condition
Original paint with light even gunning wear, some working touch-up possible, tight neck crack, age lines in breast and body, and original wood fill in check along bottom. One of the finest Ward Brothers decoys known to exist.
- Shipping Info
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Shipping info
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