Complete Set of Twenty-Five Miniature Waterfowl, A. Elmer Crowell (1862-1952)

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The Winter Sale 2022, Day 2

By Copley Fine Art Auctions

Mar 5, 2022

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Lots 265-556 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com

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• Lot Description
  Complete Set of Twenty-Five Miniature Waterfowl
  A. Elmer Crowell (1862-1952)
  East Harwich, MA, c. 1930
  Canada goose is 6 in. long
  
  In addition to Crowell's unparalleled carving and painting prowess, the maker's vast ornithological knowledge and interest led him to create a huge variety of bird species. Author and collector Joseph Ellis, who meticulously tallied the maker’s miniature species in "Birds in Wood and Paint," reports, “The result—50 ducks, geese, and upland game birds (including females), 42 shorebirds and wading birds, and 91 songbirds, for a grand total of 183—is staggering.”
  
  Crowell created three varieties of miniature bird carving sets, each with twenty-five pieces. These sets were of either waterfowl, shorebirds, or songbirds, which he sold to not only his decoy buyers and seasonal tourists, but also schools and museums around the nation for species identification purposes.
  
  This group of twenty-five waterfowl miniatures, each bearing the maker’s rectangular stamp on the underside, represents a full Crowell waterfowl set, numbered one through twenty-five on the underside of each carving. Each bird is original to this fresh-to-the-market set. The vast majority of the original Crowell sets have been broken up over the years, making this a rare opportunity to acquire a single flock with remarkable consistency from bird to bird.
  
  This lot includes the following birds listed by their original and inscribed assigned number. Crowell’s names are included in parentheses.
  1. Mallard drake
  2. Mallard hen
  3. Pintail drake
  4. Pintail hen
  5. Redhead drake
  6. Redhead hen
  7. Ruddy Duck drake
  8. Bufflehead drake
  9. Bluebill drake
  10. Bluebill hen
  11. Red-Breasted Merganser drake
  12. Red-Breasted Merganser hen
  13. Canvasback drake
  14. Canvasback hen
  15. Green-Winged Teal drake
  16. Brant
  17. American merganser drake (gooseander)
  18. Blue-Winged Teal drake
  19. Hooded Merganser drake
  20. Black Duck
  21. Goldeneye drake
  22. Long-Tailed Duck drake (old squaw)
  23. Wood Duck drake
  24. Wigeon (widgeon)
  25. Canada Goose
  
  Excellent original paint with minimal wear. Goose has a reset neck. Merganser hen has a chip to reset bill.
  
  Provenance: Private Collection, Philadelphia, by descent from the original owners
  
  Literature: Stephen B. O'Brien Jr. and Chelsie W. Olney, "Elmer Crowell: Father of American Bird Carving," Hingham, MA, 2019, pp. 239-241, waterfowl set and list illustrated. Brian Cullity, "The Songless Aviary," Hyannis, MA, 1992, pp. 90-99, similar birds illustrated. Joseph Ellis, “Birds in Wood and Paint,” Hanover, NH, 2009.

  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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