The Bush Long-Tailed Duck

Lot 386

About Seller

20 Winter Street
Pembroke, MA 02359
United States

Founded in 2005, Copley Fine Art Auctions is a boutique auction house specializing in antique decoys and American, sporting, and wildlife paintings. Over the course of the last two decades, the firm has set auction records for not only individual decoy makers, but also entire carving regions. Copley...Read more

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About Auction

The Winter Sale 2025, Day 2 by Copley Fine Art Auctions

Live

The Winter Sale 2025, Day 2

By Copley Fine Art Auctions

Feb 22, 2025

Set Reminder 2025-02-22 10:00:00 2025-02-22 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : The Winter Sale 2025, Day 2 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/copley/the-winter-sale-2025-day-2-17705 Lots 262-501 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com

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Lot Description

The Bush Long-Tailed Duck
New Jersey, c. 1890
13 1/2 in. long

Occasionally, decoys come to light that are complete unknowns, as was the case with the appearance of the now-famous Kankakee pintail rig that surfaced over a decade ago. This elegant high-head long-tailed hen invokes the same visceral sense of wonder, standing as a long-undocumented form. It was first collected by Walter Bush; in 1953 it went to a New York museum for over a half century. More recently it has resided in another museum, the Center for American Decoys at the Peoria Riverfront Museum.

The exceptional qualities and distinctive features of this carving are immediately evident. The high head on the raised neck seat is among the most stately seen on any long-tail or sea duck. It features full cheeks which taper to a sharp ridge along the crown. On the opposite end, the maker has carved an exceedingly thin, uplifted tail with a spade-shape tip, remarkable for its survival. The two-piece body is held together with two dowels, providing evidence of its early New Jersey origin. The unknown maker has creatively reduced the weight of the bird by hollowing the bottom half of the decoy.

Very few early long-tail decoys carved along the Mid-Atlantic region survive today and this singular example is a standout for the species.

The carving's right side displays the museum identification code "A51-98" in red paint.
Very early working paint with even gunning wear and a minor touch-up to a partial crack in neck.

Provenance: Walter L. Bush Collection
Collection of a New York City Museum, acquired from the above in 1953
Private Collection

Literature: Henry A. Fleckenstein Jr., "Decoy of the Mid-Atlantic Region," Exton, PA, 1979, p. 20, Shourds long-tail pair illustrated. H. Harrison Huster and Doug Knight, "Floating Sculptures: The Decoys of the Delaware River," Spanish Fork, UT, 1982, p. 55, English long-tailed drake illustrated.

Condition

Please refer to the description; if you have questions, email colin@copleyart.com.
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