Exceedingly Rare Tern by Obediah Verity (1813-1901)

Lot 240

About Seller

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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About Auction

The Winter Sale 2025, Day 1 by Copley Fine Art Auctions

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The Winter Sale 2025, Day 1

By Copley Fine Art Auctions

Feb 21, 2025

Set Reminder 2025-02-21 10:00:00 2025-02-21 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : The Winter Sale 2025, Day 1 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/copley/the-winter-sale-2025-day-1-17703 Lots 1-261 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com

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Lot Description

Exceedingly Rare Tern
Obediah Verity (1813-1901)
Seaford, Long Island, NY, c. 1880
13 in. long

There was a time when a hat decorated with tern feathers and wings was considered the height of couture and led to the large reductions in tern populations. However, conservation efforts and legislation in the late-19th century forced a change in the millinery industry. Although once popular for fashion, terns were evidently never considered a culinary delight. As a result, market hunters received only ten dollars per hundred birds and terns were not widely hunted after use of their feathers was outlawed. For this reason, old working tern decoys are extremely rare, with Long Island being one of the few areas where rigs have been found.

Two of this bird's rigmates are illustrated on page thirty-one of Henry Fleckenstein's book, "Shore Bird Decoys." The caption states that they ?were made by Obediah Verity of Seaford, Long Island, New York, c. 1880." In July of 1999, a rigmate set an auction record for any Obediah Verity decoy at that time.

This Verity tern was passed down through the extended family to Nelson Verity (1854-1947). Nelson Verity is known to have guided Yankee baseball greats, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, in South Oyster Bay.
Old in-use repaint, with some flaking, gunning wear, and some restoration to top of head.

Provenance: Nelson Verity Rig
Private Collection, Florida

Literature: Joe Engers, ed., "The Great Book of Wildfowl Decoys," San Diego, CA, 1990, p. 103, rigmate illustrated. Joe Engers, ed., ?1999 Year In Review,? Decoy Magazine, 1999, front cover and p. 9, rigmate illustrated. Robert Shaw, "Bird Decoys of North America," New York, NY, 2010, p. 131, similar decoy illustrated (caption reversed). Henry A. Fleckenstein Jr., "Shore Bird Decoys," Exton, PA, 1980, p. 31, pl. 34 and color plate 72, rigmates illustrated. William J. Mackey Jr., "American Bird Decoys," New York, NY, 1965, p. 58, pl. 38, related example illustrated. Timothy Sieger, "The Decoys of Long Island," Water Mills, NY, 2010, pp. 32 and 36, similar examples illustrated. Richard P. Baldwin, "The Verity Family of Long Island, New York," Southold, NY, 2000, p. 126.

Condition

Please refer to the description; if you have questions, email colin@copleyart.com.
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