Rare Straight-Head Broadbill Decoy, Albert Davids Laing (1811-1886)

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The Sporting Sale 2019

By Copley Fine Art Auctions

Jul 25, 2019

Set Reminder 2019-07-25 10:00:00 2019-07-25 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : The Sporting Sale 2019 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/copley/the-sporting-sale-2019-4227
July 25 at 10 am | 550 lots Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com

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• Lot Description
  Albert Davids Laing (1811-1886)
  New York, NY, and Stratford, CT, c. 1855
  13 1/4 in. long
  
  In 1918, the Laing family moved from Rathaway, New Jersey, to a residence they named Laingside in New York City on the East River. Albert Laing's father, a merchant, opened a shop at 250 Pearl Street adjacent to the Fulton Fish Market. With direct access to this prime trading post, the young Laing became a market hunter.
  
  “Considering functional design,” writes Laing authority Ronald S. Swanson, “Laing’s decoys are extremely successful. Minimum weight, compactness and durability are combined with accuracy of species and an attitude of quiet repose to create a highly effective working decoy. The quality of Laing’s designs accounts for his influence of the makers of the Stratford school and the lower Delaware River and perhaps other areas…” In 1863 Laing purchased a house in Stratford, Connecticut, where he lived as a gentleman farmer. His decoy rig went north with him where it had a tremendous impact on the next generation of the areas decoy makers and hunters. His rig totaling over one hundred decoys was hunted over for many decades after his passing and the carvings became the template for the Stratford School of decoy making. Notably, Charles E. “Shang” Wheeler and Louis Rathmell are perhaps the only two early followers of Laing who approached the high bar that Laing set. His stylistic influence also appears to have extended to the Delaware River, as directly seen in the rig of his cousins, Richard Wistar Davids (1825–1863) and Caspar W. Morris (1806-1877).
  
  Laing scholar, Ronald Swanson, describes this hollow decoy "from the early classic rig" as "the only known broadbill in the forward position."
  
  In addition to being illustrated in multiple volumes, this decoy is exhibited at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut, and the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, Vermont. The underside bears three old paper labels. In excellent Wheeler working paint typical of the rig with even gunning wear.
  
  Provenance: Albert D. Laing Rig
  Charles E. "Shang" Wheeler Rig
  Thomas Marshall Collection
  Dr. S. Lloyd Newberry Collection
  
  Literature: Adele Earnest, "The Art of the Decoy," West Chester, PA, 1965, p. 64, pl. 45, exact decoy illustrated.
  Henry C. Chitwood, "Connecticut Decoys," West Chester, PA, 1987, p. 65, exact decoy illustrated.
  Ronald S. Swanson, "Albert D. Laing: A decoy maker unequaled in his time," Decoy Magazine, Burtonsville, MD, July/August 1995, pp. 13-14, exact decoy illustrated three times.
  Guyette and Schmidt, "Important Auction of Rare Waterfowl Decoys from the Collection of John Hillman, April 25 & 26, 1996," West Farmington, ME, 1996, p. 139, lot 566, exact decoy illustrated.
  Linda and Gene Kangas, "Decoys," Paducah, KY, 1992, p. 119, pl.178, exact bird illustrated.

  Condition

  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.
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