Sleeping Surf Scoter, Albert Davids Laing (1811-1886)

Lot 82

About Seller

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

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$50,000	$5,000

About Auction

The Sporting Sale 2018, Day 1 by Copley Fine Art Auctions

Live

The Sporting Sale 2018, Day 1

By Copley Fine Art Auctions

Jul 19, 2018

Set Reminder 2018-07-19 13:00:00 2018-07-19 13:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : The Sporting Sale 2018, Day 1 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/copley/the-sporting-sale-2018-day-1-3286 On July 19, Copley Fine Art Auctions will lead off their annual Sporting Sale with 140 lots from the Donal C. O’Brien, Jr. Collection of Important American Sporting Art and Decoys. On July 20 Copley will present an additional 425 lots of decoys, fish carvings, and sporting art. Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com

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Lot Description

Sleeping Surf Scoter
Albert Davids Laing (1811-1886)
New York, NY and Stratford, CT, c. 1850
14 in. long

An exceptional, hollow, turned-head decoy by the father of the Stratford School. Beginning its life in the gunning rigs of the three most important decoy makers and hunters from Connecticut, this bird decoy was then collected by four of the country's most prominent decoy collectors. Laing, originally from New York City, is one of the earliest documented carvers in North America. The underside bears a large “LAING” rig brand.

Laing has been revered for adding a lifelike quality to his rigs with a variety of head positions, such as this elegant sleeper. There is no evidence that Laing ever sold decoys commercially, and it is believed that at the time of his death the one hundred eleven decoys from his gunning rig constituted the majority of his entire output. According to Chitwood, Laing’s entire hunting rig was sold after his passing in 1886 for $45.
Carefully taken down to mostly original paint with some touch-up, partial restoration to bill.

Provenance: Albert D. Laing Rig
Charles E. "Shang" Wheeler Rig
Tom Marshall Rig and Collection
Dr. George Ross Starr, Jr. Collection
Ronald S. Swanson Collection
Peter Brams Collection
Donal C. O'Brien, Jr. Collection

Literature: D. Webster & W. Kehoe, "Shelburne Museum Decoys," Shelburne, VT, 1961, p. 75, rigmate illustrated.
Henry C. Chitwood, "Connecticut Decoys," West Chester, PA, 1987, p. 65, Shelburne Museum rigmate illustrated.
Laurence Sheehan, "The Birding Life," New York, NY, 2011, p. 22, exact decoy illustrated.

Condition

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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