Canvasback Drake by Lee Dudley (1860-1942)

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The Winter Sale 2016

By Copley Fine Art Auctions

Feb 12, 2016 - Feb 13, 2016

Set Reminder 2016-02-12 11:00:00 2016-02-13 11:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : The Winter Sale 2016 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/copley/the-winter-sale-2016-1233
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• Lot Description
  Lee Dudley (1860-1942)
  Knotts Island, NC, c. 1900
  
  Dudley decoys have been held in the highest regard by collectors from the earliest days of decoy collecting. In fact, two seminal books on decoy collecting, William J. Mackey’s "American Bird Decoys" and Joel Barber’s "Wild Fowl Decoys" both begin their first chapter with stories of Dudley decoys and the authors' reverence for them. Barber's particular love of Dudley decoys is illustrated in the first three plates of his book; the first of which depicts two Dudley decoys prominently displayed top and center on a collection wall. In 1981 a panel of experts reviewing the decoy collection at the Shelburne Museum declared a Dudley decoy of Barber's to be the best of the collection.
  
  This canvasback decoy has never before been offered for sale and is one of the finest examples of a Dudley canvasback ever to be offered at auction. It is believed to have been made as part of a rig for the Dudley’s Island Club which was owned by Lee’s twin brother, Leonard V. Dudley (1860-1932). The body is long and graceful and the raised wingtips are carved in a sharp V-shape. This bird has sophisticated head carving with a refined bill, pronounced crown, full cheeks, and glass eyes. William J. Mackey, Jr., in his book “American Bird Decoys,” was so impressed with Dudley's work that he wrote, “the heads on Dudley’s decoys are the finest the writer has ever seen.”
  
  This rare example carries excellent provenance and is in very good condition by Dudley standards. These two points cannot be overstated when considering Dudley decoys. The provenance leads directly from the William J. Mackey, Jr. Collection to the Donal C. O’Brien, Jr. Collection to the consignor.
  
  Though it is likely that Lee Dudley made hundreds of decoys over the course of his career, very few unadulterated carvings are known to remain today. Due to their popularity among collectors, misleading representations of Dudley decoys have occurred through various means since the earliest days of decoy collecting. The most common alterations come in the forms of Dudley decoys with replaced bills, heads, and bodies. Because of their early origins and refined features, most Dudley decoys lost their bills, heads, or were destroyed entirely.
  
  The Dudley decoy has always been known for its bold, singular form and this carving exemplifies all of the desirable attributes one looks for. To draw from Gene and Linda Kangas’ "Decoys: A North American Survey,“ "A visual study of the complete Dudley bird form, whatever the species, reveals an uninterrupted flow from bill tip to tail’s end. The successful manner in which the bill fits into the lower cheeks, the cut of the neck-base, sweeping powerful chest, and smooth, curved body combine into one of the finer sculptural solutions in the decoy world...The Dudley carving style consistently depicts both the head and body forms as a totality, resulting in a fine sculptural portrait…”
  
  The form, execution, rarity, condition, and provenance of this canvasback place it among the finest North Carolina decoys to ever be offered for sale at auction.
  
  Provenance: William J. Mackey, Jr. Collection
  Donal C. O'Brien, Jr. Collection, acquired from the above
  Private Collection, acquired from the above, c. 1983
  
  Literature: William J. Mackey, Jr., “American Bird Decoys,” New York, 1965, pp. 168-170. Dick McIntyre, “The Dudley Decoy,” Decoy Magazine, Burtonsville, MD, March/April 1994, cover story, pp. 8-14. Henry A Fleckenstein, Jr., "Southern Decoys of Virginia and the Carolinas," Exton, PA, 1983, pp. 215-219. Joel Barber, "Wild Fowl Decoys," New York, NY, 1954, pp. 1-5, plates 1-3. Gene and Linda Kangas, “Decoys: A North American Survey,” Spanish Fork, UT, 1983, pp. 3-4. Joe French, “Early Decoy Days: Traveling Man,” Decoy Magazine, Lewes, DE, March/April 2005, p. 25, related example illustrated. Copley Fine Art Auctions, "The Sporting Sale 2009," Plymouth, MA, July 2011, lot 629, related example illustrated.

  Condition

  A mix of original and working paint with heavy gunning wear and a reset neck with some putty and touch-up.
• Shipping Info

  • Shipping info

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