EUR
CAD
AUD
GBP
MXN
HKD
CNY
MYR
SEK
SGD
CHF
THBThe Adele Earnest Running Sickle-Billed Curlew
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
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Two ways to bid:
- Leave a max absentee bid and the platform will bid on your behalf up to your maximum bid during the live auction.
- Bid live during the auction and your bids will be submitted real-time to the auctioneer.
Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,500 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $25,000 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
About Auction
LiveJul 25, 2015 - Jul 26, 2015
Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com
View Full Catalog (533)
- Lot Description
Cape Cod, MA, c. 1880
This decoy holds a distinct place in the realm of early American folk art. Seven years into decoy collecting, Adele Earnest considered this curlew her favorite decoy. She documents this in Hal Sorenson?s "Decoy Collector?s Guide" in the October-November-December 1963 issue. Earnest prominently featured this bold decoy with flowing lines in her "The Art of the Decoy: American Bird Carvings" and "Folk Art in America" books.
Tom Geismar and Harvey Kahn discuss a related curlew carving in "Spiritually Moving: A Collection of American Folk Art Sculpture."
?Rare form, brilliant execution and original surface combine to make this long-billed or sickle-billed curlew a true masterpiece of American sculpture?..At twenty and a half inches in length, it ranks among the largest of shorebird decoys. The overall affect is greatly enhanced by a muted surface of brown and blacks that features painted feathers applied with delicate strokes reminiscent of Japanese or Chinese brushwork.?
The carving exhibits full-bodied form, finely painted outlines around shoe button eyes, a split tail containing a painted "K" with serifs, and a small "Adele Earnest Collection" stamp on the underside.
Provenance: Adele Earnest Collection
Private Collection, FloridaLiterature: Adele Earnest, "The Art of the Decoy: American Bird Carvings," New York, NY, 1965, p. 53, plate 31, exact decoy illustrated.
Adele Earnest, "Folk Art in America," Exton, PA, 1984, p. 128, exact decoy illustrated.
Guyette and Schmidt, Inc., "North American Decoys at Auction," W. Farmington, ME, April 1993, lot 648, exact decoy illustrated.Original paint with even wear and flaking to the wood, a crack in bill has been reset.Condition
- Shipping Info
-
Shipping info
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.PLEASE BE AWARE THAT INTERNET BIDDERS MAY NOT PICK UP THEIR ITEMS AT THE SALE SITE. ITEMS CAN BE PICKED UP BY APPOINTMENT OR SHIPPED STARTING FIVE DAYS AFTER THE CONCLUSION OF THE SALE
-
- Buyer's Premium
