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THBThe Barber-O'Brien Long-Tailed Pair of Decoys by Joseph W. Lincoln (1859-1938)
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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About Auction
LiveJul 13, 2023
Lots 1-243 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com
View Full Catalog (243)
- Lot Description
The Barber-O'Brien Long-Tailed Pair
Joseph W. Lincoln (1859-1938)
Accord, MA, c. 1900
15 1/2 in. long
“The drake by Joe Lincoln, is a masterpiece…simple yet striking… [the] hen—a fitting mate.” — Shirley and John Delph, “New England Decoys,” 1981, discussing The Barber-O’Brien Long-Tailed Pair
O'Brien's collecting notes regarding the drake assert that it is the "best of all Lincoln's Old Squaw; very delicate in construction & paint; subtle and varied pattern on head showing much more shading than usual; Joe Lincoln gave this decoy to Joel Barber; it was part of the Shelburne Collection and bears the Museum's number; I traded one of my Schoenheider geese for it; also gave Museum an Elliston canvasback and a Graves black duck."
Regarding the mate, Donal's notes reveal that he "traded a [Bunn /] Bowman yellowlegs and a pair of Ward balsa teal for the hen."
Relaying their incredible provenance, both decoys are marked with the O’Brien Collection ink stamp and a Shelburne Museum code. While in the Shelburne Museum Collection, Adele Earnest selected this pair for her New York City exhibition in 1966 at the Museum of American Folk Art, titled “The Art of the Decoy.”
Excellent original paint with minimal gunning wear.
Provenance: Joel Barber Collection, acquired from Joseph Lincoln
Shelburne Museum Collection, acquired from the above
Donal C. O'Brien Jr. Collection, acquired from the above
Thomas M. Evans Jr. Collection
Literature: David S. Webster and William Kehoe, "Decoys at Shelburne Museum," Shelburne, VT, 1961, p. 68, exact decoys illustrated.
John and Shirley Delph, "New England Decoys," Exton, PA, 1990, p. 132, exact decoys illustrated.
Robert H. Boyle, “The Art of Deception,” Audubon Magazine, May/June 2002, p. 44, no. 8, exact decoys illustrated.
Laurence Sheehan, "The Sporting Life," New York, NY, 1992, p. 82, exact decoys illustrated.
Adele Earnest, "Folk Art In America," Exton, PA, 1984, p. 172, exact pair illustrated in “The Art of The Decoy” exhibition.
Exhibited: New York, New York, “The Art of The Decoy,” Museum of American Folk Art, 1966.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.
- Shipping Info
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