High-Head Mallard Pair by Walter "Tube" Dawson (1882-1955)

Lot 201

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 Sporting Sale 2023, Day 1 by Copley Fine Art Auctions

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The Sporting Sale 2023, Day 1

By Copley Fine Art Auctions

Jul 13, 2023

Set Reminder 2023-07-13 10:00:00 2023-07-13 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : The Sporting Sale 2023, Day 1 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/copley/the-sporting-sale-2023-day-1-12989 Lots 1-243 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com

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Lot Description

High-Head Mallard Pair
Walter "Tube" Dawson (1882-1955)
Putnam, IL, c. 1920
17 in. long

Dawson learned carpentry from his father and began carving decoys at age seventeen. Over his long career in wood, he proved to be a diverse maker. In addition to these standout high-head models, he made imaginative preeners, a mechanical goose, flying mallards, duck calls, and boats.

Hunting was his passion, and from 1905 until 1918 Dawson took full advantage of the then legal market shooting of the region’s plentiful waterfowl. On Lake Senachwine, he served as a hunting guide to hotel guests.

The distinctive style seen here resulted in his being known as “Tube” among decoy enthusiasts. The high heads, like on the Kankakee pintails, have been attributed to application in tall marsh grasses. These decoy are quite rare with only six believed to have survived.
Original paint with moderate gunning wear, working paint from the waterline down on the drake. Hen has tight neck crack, age line at left crown, and working paint to grey on very bottom. Both have some flaking.

Provenance: Masterworks of the Illinois River Collection

Literature: Stephen B. O'Brien Jr. and Julie Carlson, "Masterworks of the Illinois River," Boston, MA, 2005, p. 108, exact pair illustrated. Zac Zetterberg, ed., “American Decoy: The Invention,” Peoria, IL, 2020, p. 57, exact pair illustrated. Alan G. Haid, "Decoys of the Mississippi Flyway," Exton, PA, p. 168, related pair illustrated. Gene and Linda Kangas, "Decoys: A North American Survey," Spanish Fork, UT, 1983, p. 246, pl. 377, rigmate pair illustrated. Exhibited: Peoria, Illinois, “American Decoy: The Invention,” Peoria Riverfront Museum, February 9–April 28, 2019. Salisbury, Maryland, “The Illinois River Meets the Chesapeake,” Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, September 2 - November 13, 2005.

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.
Shipping Info
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