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THBMackey Dovetailed "Lumberyard" Yellowlegs by Dr. Gilbert E. Wallace (1873-1917)
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
LiveFeb 21, 2025
Lots 1-261 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com
View Full Catalog (261)
- Lot Description
Mackey Dovetailed "Lumberyard" Yellowlegs
Dr. Gilbert E. Wallace (1873-1917)
Forked River, NJ, c. 1900
9 1/4 in. long
A rare yellowlegs carving with a removable dovetailed head. The vertically-laminated hollow body is finished with raised wings and split and raised wing tips.
The maker used an ingenious method to construct this elaborately designed decoy. The vertical lamination allowed Wallace to not only hollow the body, but also more easily carve out the dovetail cavity. Additionally, the dovetail keystone was applied to the underside of the head rather than carved out of the neck. The underside has the rig numeral "VI" and the Mackey Collection ink stamp. A rigmate that was picked from a museum by Joe French went on set the high-water mark for the maker at $37,500 in 2009.
An extensive biography on Wallace, along with an example of his one-piece decoy, is published in James Doherty's "Classic New Jersey Decoys."
Original paint with even gunning wear, including a paint flake under the bill.
Provenance: William J. Mackey Collection
Private Collection, by descent from the above
Private Collection
Literature: James R. Doherty, "Classic New Jersey Decoys," Louisville, KY, 2011, p. 172, fixed-head examples illustrated, Appendix C, xx-xxii, Wallace biography. Richard A. Bourne Co., Inc., "Very Rare and Important American Bird Decoys from the Collection of the late William J. Mackey Jr. of Belford, New Jersey," Hyannis, MA, 1973, Sessions I & II, lot 340, rigmate illustrated. William J. Mackey Jr., "American Bird Decoys." New York, 1965, pl. 51, rigmate illustrated.Condition
Please refer to the description; if you have questions, email colin@copleyart.com.
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Shipping info
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