Early Redhead Pair by Henry Keyes Chadwick (1865-1958)

Lot 454

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

The Winter Sale 2023, Day 2 by Copley Fine Art Auctions

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The Winter Sale 2023, Day 2

By Copley Fine Art Auctions

Feb 25, 2023

Set Reminder 2023-02-25 10:00:00 2023-02-25 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : The Winter Sale 2023, Day 2 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/copley/the-winter-sale-2023-day-2-11942 Lots 338-657 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com

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Lot Description

Early Redhead Pair
Henry Keyes Chadwick (1865-1958)
Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard, MA, c. 1890
15 1/4 in. long

"Many collectors consider this early pair to be his best." - John Clayton, "Massachusetts Masters: Decoys, Shorebirds, and Decorative Carvings," discussing this exact redhead pair

This very rare and early pair displays the maker's earliest and most desirable form with highly refined head, neck, and tail carving and animated postures. The undersides retain the maker's circular inset weights. This pair was selected for one of the Ward Museum's greatest exhibitions and accompanying book, "Massachusetts Masters," in which the special guest curator John Clayton clearly conveyed that "Many collectors consider this early pair to be his best."

Indeed, collectors have prized Chadwick's earliest work for decades. These turn-of-the-century models ran parallel to his friend Capt. Benjamin Smith, with the former admitting that he couldn't always tell their decoys apart. William Mackey is among Chadwick's great admirers. So taken was he by one heavily weathered decoy with a comparable form, he stated, "The conformation of this piece cannot be faulted."
Original paint with even gunning wear. Drake has hairline crack in neck and touch-up to edges of tail. Hen has repaint under tail and on breast.

Provenance: Donald Kirson Collection

Literature: Stanley Murphy, "Martha's Vineyard Decoys," Boston, MA, 1978, pp. 26-57, Chadwick discussed. William J. Mackey Jr., "American Bird Decoys," New York, NY, 1965, pp. 73-75, 85, and 250, Chadwick discussed. Paul A. Johnsgard, "The Bird Decoy: An American Art Form," Lincoln, NE, 1976, pp. 5 and 52, related drake illustrated. Jackson Parker, "Auction News," Decoy Magazine, September/October 2003, p. 33, exact drake illustrated. John and Shirley Delph, "New England Decoys," Exton, PA, 1990, pp. 67 and 70, related pair illustrated. John Clayton, "Massachusetts Masters: Decoys, Shorebirds, and Decorative Carvings Exhibition Catalog," The Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, Salisbury University, 2010, p. 66, exact pair illustrated. Decoys Unlimited, Inc. Theodore S. Harmon, "Our Annual Cape Cod Decoy Auction," West Barnstable, MA, July 2003, lot 159 and front cover, exact decoy illustrated. Exhibited: Salisbury, Maryland, "Massachusetts Masters: Decoys, Shorebirds and Decorative Carvings," Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, Salisbury University, LeMay Gallery, October 1, 2010-January 23, 2011.

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.
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