High-Head Canvasback Drake
Upper Chesapeake Bay, c. 1900
14 1/4 in. long
This decoy relates closely to and may be the early work of Charles Nelson Barnard (1876-1958) of Havre de Grace, Maryland. A Barnard example with a similar distinctive weight is seen on page 121 of "Decoys of the Mid-Atlantic Region." Original and old working paint with heavy gunning wear, including neck cracks.
Provenance: Ronald S. Swanson Collection
Literature: Ronald Swanson, “The Decoy as Folk Sculpture,” Cranbrook Academy of Art Exhibition Catalog, January 1987, p. 31, fig. 48, exact decoy illustrated.
Henry A. Fleckenstein, Jr., "Decoy of the Mid-Atlantic Region," Exton, PA, 1979, p. 121, related Barnard example illustrated.
Exhibited: Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, “The Decoy as Folk Sculpture,” Cranbrook Academy of Art, January 27-February 22, 1987.
Condition
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