Curlew, Cobb Island, VA

Lot 207

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

Bid Increments

Price	Bid Increment
$0	$50
$1,000	$100
$2,500	$250
$5,000	$500
$10,000	$1,000
$25,000	$2,500
$50,000	$5,000

About Auction

The Sporting Sale 2018, Day 2 by Copley Fine Art Auctions

Live

The Sporting Sale 2018, Day 2

By Copley Fine Art Auctions

Jul 20, 2018

Set Reminder 2018-07-20 10:00:00 2018-07-20 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : The Sporting Sale 2018, Day 2 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/copley/the-sporting-sale-2018-day-2-3302 On July 19, Copley Fine Art Auctions will lead off their annual Sporting Sale with 140 lots from the Donal C. O’Brien, Jr. Collection of Important American Sporting Art and Decoys. On July 20 Copley will present an additional 425 lots of decoys, fish carvings, and sporting art. Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com

View Full Catalog (425)

Lot Description

Curlew
Cobb Island, VA, c. 1880
12 in. long

A well-documented curlew from this famous Southern Island community. This exact decoy was displayed in the Museum of American Folk Art as part of the O'Brien Collection in 1981.

This early and rare Cobb Island curlew is one of the fattest examples known. Having survived shooting, hurricanes, flooding, and fires, it stands as a proud relic from a forgotten time. Its prominent features include perfectly circular eyes set in grooves, round cheeks, a grand belly, and the Cobb's best "shark fin" style raised wing carving.
In original paint with minor working touch-up and an old replaced bill.

Provenance: William J. Mackey, Jr. Collection
Donal C. O'Brien, Jr. Collection
Private Collection, Virginia

Literature: Jeff Waingrow, "The American Decoy," The Clarion: America's Folk Art Magazine, New York, NY, Fall 1981, p. 31, exact decoy illustrated.
Jackson Parker, “O’Brien Classic Decoys on Display at Museum of American Folk Art,” North American Decoys Magazine, Spanish Fork, UT, Spring/Summer 1982, p. 30, exact decoy illustrated.

Exhibited: New York, New York, “The Art of the American Decoy: Folk Sculpture from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Donal C. O’Brien Jr.,” Museum of American Folk Art, September 3-November 8, 1981.

Condition

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.
Shipping Info
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