Root-Head Dowitcher
Cape Hatteras, NC, c. 1890
9 1/4 in. long
An early North Carolina shorebird decoy with a root-head and unusual twisted wire legs. The head is removable with a mortise-and-tennon joint.
Old paint with gunning wear and a check down the right side.
Provenance: William J. Mackey, Jr. Collection Donal C. O'Brien, Jr. Collection
Literature: William J. Mackey Jr., "American Bird Decoys: The Paine Art Center Exhibition Catalog," St. Paul, MN, December 1967, lot 37, exact decoy illustrated.
William J. Mackey, Jr., "American Bird Decoys," New York, NY, 1965, p. 176, pl. 144, exact decoy illustrated.
Laurence Sheehan, "The Sporting Life," New York, NY, 1992, p. 80, exact decoy illustrated.
Exhibited: St. Paul, Minnesota, "American Bird Decoys," The Paine Art Center, December 1967.
Condition
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