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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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Jul 28, 2017 - Jul 29, 2017
Pintail Drake
Lake Villa, IL, c. 1890
16 1/2 in. long
Birds from this rig were found in a carriage house on the Ernest Lehmann estate, in Lake Villa, Illinois. While the maker has yet to be identified, the carving closely resembles the work of Stephen Lane (1843-1900) of Lacon, Illinois. Like Lane’s decoys, this carriage house bird has no nails at its body seam.
Lane decoys have elegantly carved heads with pronounced breasts that give them an "S" shape. The sharply pointed tails work in contrast with the smooth frontal lines, giving Lane birds a racy attitude. Similar to carvings by early decoy maker Henry Ruggles, though not as pronounced, Lane's birds have V-shaped bottoms. These slight nuances give his birds a graceful schooner-shaped appearance, similar to the bird carvings of his native New Jersey coast. While the maker of this decoy may never be known, the Lane connection should be further examined.
Original paint with gunning wear, repair to tip and underside of bill.
Literature: Stephen O'Brien, Jr. and Julie Carlson, "Masterworks of the Illinois River," Boston, MA, 2005, p. 25, similar 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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