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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Jul 27, 2017 - Jul 28, 2017
Mallard Drake
John R. Wells (1861-1953)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada, c. 1900
17 in. long
This exact decoy and an image of it's brand were used in Crandell's 1975 article revealing John R. Wells as the maker of this and other excellent Toronto decoys. Previously, Wells decoys had been attributed to fellow Toronto boat builder James Warin (1832-1884). This hollow mallard drake has a crisp "J.R.W. MAKER" brand on the bottom board.
Original paint with gunning wear and touch-up to two shot scars on right side.
Provenance: Lowell Jackson Collection
Donal C. O'Brien, Jr. Collection
Literature: Bernard W. Crandell, “JRW Maker,” North American Decoys, Winter 1975, p. 32-36, exact decoy illustrated.
Condition report requests can be made via email or by telephone (info@copleyart.com or 617.536.0030). 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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