The Dempsey-Chace Songbird in Nest with Egg by A. Elmer Crowell (1862-1952)

Lot 2

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

The Sporting Sale 2024, Day 1 by Copley Fine Art Auctions

Live

The Sporting Sale 2024, Day 1

By Copley Fine Art Auctions

Jul 11, 2024

Set Reminder 2024-07-11 10:00:00 2024-07-11 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : The Sporting Sale 2024, Day 1 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/copley/the-sporting-sale-2024-day-1-16089 Lots 1-253 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com

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Lot Description

The Dempsey-Chace Songbird in Nest with Egg
A. Elmer Crowell (1862-1952)
East Harwich, MA, c. 1935
4 in. long, 7 in. tall

A unique nesting bird carving with dropped wings, a high tail, and carved egg. It includes a real nest mounted on a wooden base. The underside of the base bears the following inked inscription: "Elmer Crowell gave to Ashley Dempsey in 1951. He found the nest + for fun made eggs + bird for it." This history implies that Crowell owned this carving for over a decade before gifting it to a granddaughter of Charles A. and Alice E. Hardy.

This important work was acquired from a 1976 Bourne Auction where the cataloger made a special "NOTE" to address the provenance and its significance, discussing "...Charles Ashley Hardy, Crowell's first customer for live-sized mantle birds. It was Mr. Hardy who, through his encouragement, got Elmer Crowell to begin making life-sized decoratives."

In addition to the rarity of composition and form, the refined plumage may also be unique. According to Crowell miniature historian Joseph Ellis "even allowing for his normally 'folky style, Crowell was casual in dealing with ornithological details on his songbirds..." This piece stands apart from any of the sixty species illustrated by Ellis in his book. In the catalog, Bourne refers to the carving as a warbler.
Original paint with wear, including a blunted bill tip and rubs to wing tips. Nest has deteriorated.

Provenance: J. Ashley Dempsey Collection, gifted from the artist, 1951
Evelyn Thayer Chace Collection, acquired 1976
Private Collection, by descent from the above

Literature: Richard A. Bourne Co. Inc., "Rare American Decoys & Bird Carvings," Hyannis, MA, July 13-14, 1976, lot 284, exact piece illustrated and discussed. Joseph H. Ellis, "Birds in Wood and Paint," Lebanon, NH, 2009, pp. 63-73, no comparables illustrated.

Condition

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