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THBRare Mallard Drake Decoy, Joe Marr (1879-1954)
Lot 367
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:
$10,000 - $14,000
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About Auction
Live
By Copley Fine Art Auctions
Mar 5, 2022
Set Reminder
2022-03-05 10:00:00
2022-03-05 10:00:00
America/New_York
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Lots 265-556 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com
Lots 265-556 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com
View Full Catalog (292)
- Lot Description
Rare Mallard Drake
Joe Marr (1879-1954)
Heron Lake, MN, c. 1890
13 in. long
Referred to as "The Chesapeake of the West," Heron Lake was a waterfowling mecca when Marr was carving at the close of the 1800s. This exceptional drake was featured in the Center for American Decoy's 2019 exhibition, "American Decoy: The Invention," and the accompanying book with the same title. This exhibit was among the finest ever assembled, drawing pinnacle works from around the country, including The Harmon Crowell plover trio, the Masterworks of the Illinois River collection, and the Shelburne Museum's Barber Dudley ruddy duck.
Marr decoys of any species are rare with most of his carvings being canvasbacks. Describing canvasbacks in the aforementioned exhibit, author Joseph Tonelli writes they are a "masterpiece of functional folk art created by local market hunters for their own use. Its broad pancake-shaped body and strikingly high head are counterbalanced by a large wooden keel, allowing the decoy to ride smoothly across the lake."
The bottom retains its original keel with a poured-lead weight. The head is attached by a screw in the bottom of the neck that pairs with a mounting plate in the body. The threading of this removable head is slightly loose. Rigging line is still attached.
The form, paint, condition, rarity, and exhibition history of this wild drake place it at the epicenter of great Midwest folk art.
Original paint with appealing craquelure and gunning wear, including rubs to edges of body, right edge has imperfection to wood reinforced when the bird was made.
Provenance: Private Museum Collection, New Mexico, acquired c. 1970s
Private Collection, Illinois, acquired from the above, c. 2008
Literature: Zac Zetterberg, ed., “American Decoy: The Invention,” Peoria, IL, 2020, p. 97, exact decoy illustrated.
Exhibited: Peoria, Illinois, “American Decoy: The Invention,” Peoria Riverfront Museum, February 9–April 28, 2019.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
- Shipping Info
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Copley Fine Art Auctions does not handle the shipping of any items. Shipping is the sole responsibility of the buyer. Once your payment has cleared, and we have received your authorized shipping release form items may be released for shipment. Copley Fine Art Auctions, LLC shall have no liability for any loss or damage to such items. Buyers should allow up to four weeks for shipment.
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