Grand Curlew Decoy by Charles Sumner Bunn (1865-1952)

Lot 178

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 1 by Copley Fine Art Auctions

Live

The Winter Sale 2023, Day 1

By Copley Fine Art Auctions

Feb 24, 2023

Set Reminder 2023-02-24 10:00:00 2023-02-24 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : The Winter Sale 2023, Day 1 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/copley/the-winter-sale-2023-day-1-11939 Lots 1-337 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com

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Lot Description

Grand Curlew
Charles Sumner Bunn (1865-1952)
Shinnecock, NY, c. 1900
17 1/2 in. long

In 1971 Milton Weiler's "Classic Shorebird Decoys"portfolio was published with text by William J. Mackey Jr. Across from Weiler's Plate No. 3, illustrating a closely related curlew, Mackey writes, "In hand [the maker's] decoys have the feel of real birds. His knowledge and study of the live bird and his skill with a knife transferred the feel of the wishbone, the unfolded wings, and the modeling of the bone structure to blocks of wood. His was a unique talent not given to any other decoy maker."Mackey also states, "Nothing finer has been found ever since."

This newly discovered and exceptionally rare Long Island shorebird now joins a small and elite group of curlew by this celebrated carver and guide. It has been passed down through a prominent New York family who lived in the city and escaped to Long Island and specifically the Hamptons. The family had a strong sporting heritage dating back to at least the 19th century and played host to figures, including Ogden M. Pleissner. This decoy, along with one rigmate, was retired from gunning to be displayed in their Upper East Side apartment. The bird is now making its debut to the decoy community on the heels of its mate, capping one of the greatest shorebird decoy discoveries in recent memory.

Very few decoys of this coveted model have surfaced, with fewer still held in private collections. One example from the William J. Mackey Collection was acquired by Dr. James McCleery in the 1970s, setting a record price for any decoy at the time. After that bird traded again in the McCleery auction decades later, it rejoined the ranks of the top decoys ever sold. The second comparable in private hands recently reached the market from the estate of Dr. Lloyd Griffith. And, lastly, this decoy's rigmate reached the auction block in the Sporting Sale 2022. Condition reports provided for the aforementioned private collection examples suggest that all four have survived in fairly comparable condition.

Rounding out his monumental curlew model, two related examples from the rig of T.F. Norton have been held in the Long Island Museum at Stony Brook since they were gifted in 1966. One of these two appears to be the model for Weiler's illustration. This survey makes this lot the sixth of this model to surface publicly, and only the fourth to come to auction.

The grand body is larger than some waterfowl and accordingly was made with two-piece construction, held together by wooden pegs. "The shorebirds are 'sui generis,'"writes historian and curator Bob Shaw, "carved to suggest nuances of body forms and underlying bone and muscle that no other carver even attempted."Regarding his best works, Shaw states, "[They] transcend the decoy genre to rank among the finest bird portraits created by an American artist."
Original paint with moderate gunning wear and a replaced bill. Shallow flat area around stick hole has been restored.

Provenance: Private Collection, by descent in a prominent New York City family

Literature: Robert Shaw, "Bird Decoys of North America," New York, NY, 2010, pp. 180-181, related example illustrated. Robert Shaw, "Call to the Sky: The Decoy Collection of James M. McCleery, M.D.," Houston, TX, 1992, back cover and pp. 36-37, related example illustrated. Milton C. Weiler and William J. Mackey Jr., "Classic Shorebird Decoys: A Portfolio of Paintings," New York, NY, 1971, pl. 3, related example illustrated and discussed. Timothy Sieger, "The Decoys of Long Island," Water Mills, NY, 2010, front dust-jacket cover, frontispiece, and pp. 38-39, related example illustrated. E. Jane Townsend, "Gunners Paradise: Wildfowling and Decoys on Long Island,"Stony Brook, NY, 1979, p. 106, Norton rig pair illustrated. Sotheby's and Guyette and Schmidt, "American Waterfowl Decoys: The Distinguished Collection of Dr. James M. McCleery," New York, NY, January 22-23, 2000, lot 207, related example illustrated. Quintina Colio, "American Decoys," Ephrata, PA, 1972, p. 69, related examples illustrated (image reversed).

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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