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THBImportant Biddle-Rig Green-Winged Teal Drake Decoy by Jess Heisler (1891-1943)
Lot 73
About Seller
Copley Fine Art Auctions
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
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$7,000 - $10,000
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About Auction
Live
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
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Lots 1-337 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com
Lots 1-337 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com
View Full Catalog (337)
- Lot Description
Important Biddle-Rig Green-Winged Teal Drake
Jess Heisler (1891-1943)
Burlington, NJ, c. 1920
12 1/4 in. long
This early Biddle rig decoy is exceedingly rare and possibly unique with no Heisler teal in original condition apparent at auction for at least twenty-five years. Only a single blue-winged hen with a repaired bill surfaced in 2010. In 2001 "Decoy Magazine" hinted at their possible existence, writing that Heisler's teal pattern remained in the family "so possibly he produced those as well."
This bird hails from the esteemed rig of Charles Biddle, a wealthy sportsman from Andelusia, Pennsylvania, who hunted with his cousin, Mercer. In a cover article on Heisler, "Decoy Magazine" reports that the Biddles "both owned Heisler scull boats and decoys, often employing his services." The Biddles were known to hunt over some the finest decoys on the river, including choice examples by John Blair Sr. (1843-1929). The article also states that "Reportedly the Biddles, who owned or rented a railroad car, would hire a train to pull it to a spur in Maryland where they would use it for a duck camp." The cousins were also members of the Philadelphia Gun Club on the Chesapeake Bay, which hosted the likes of Annie Oakley, Earnest Hemingway, and Gen. John Pershing.
The hollow body shows Heisler's best early carving with dramatically lifted wing tips and a flaring tail, each finished with incised feathering. The underside has a partial brand reading "Biddl."
Original paint with even gunning wear and slight crack below left neck seam.
Provenance: Charles Biddle Rig
The Estate of Ann Dickinson Dale
Literature: H. Harrison Huster and Doug Knight, "Floating Sculptures: The Decoys of the Delaware River," Spanish Fork, UT, 1982, no Heisler teal listed or illustrated. Allen Linkchorst, "Jess Heisler: Builder of Quality Boats and Decoys," Decoy Magazine, Lewes, DE, March/April 2001, front cover and pp. 8-11, Heisler and Biddle discussed, teal pattern listed.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.Condition
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Shipping info
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