20 Winter Street
Pembroke, MA 02359
United States
Founded in 2005, Copley Fine Art Auctions is a boutique auction house specializing in antique decoys and American, sporting, and wildlife paintings. Over the course of the last two decades, the firm has set auction records for not only individual decoy makers, but also entire carving regions. Copley...Read more
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Feb 16, 2018 - Feb 17, 2018
Canada Goose
George Warin (1830-1905)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, c. 1880
24 in. long
George Warin (1830-1905) and his brother James (1832-1884) first apprenticed to the highly esteemed boatbuilder Robert G. Renardson before taking over his business in 1873. As a testament to their craftsmanship, a Warin-built racing scull won the 1881 and 1882 world championships. George Warin used his exceptional boatbuilding skills to carve decoys which “set a new standard of excellence in the region and were imitated by dozens of later Toronto and southwestern Ontario craftsmen,” according to historian Robert Shaw. The Warins created lightweight, hollow decoys that were perfectly suited to the calm waters of southwestern Ontario.
Warin was also the first president of the St. Clair Flats Shooting Company and his recommendation positioned Thomas Chambers (1860-1948) as the club's keeper. A fine hollow carving by this accomplished boatbuilder and club founder. The wet-on-wet blended paint applied to this decoy is among the finest seen on any goose carving.
A related example set a new world record at auction for this important Canadian maker in Copley’s Sporting Sale 2017.
Stamped “MCC” on the underside. Original paint with gunning wear, including flaking and age lines. Minor repair to very tip of bill and and touch-up to a reset neck.
Provenance: Blair Ledingham Collection
Literature: Copley Fine Art Auctions, "The Donal C. O’Brien, Jr. Collection of Important American Sporting Art and Decoys," Sessions I-II, July 27, 2017, p. 56, lot 7, closely related decoy illustrated.
Condition report requests can be made via email or by telephone (info@copleyart.com or 617.536.0030). 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.
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