The du Pont Crowell Mallard Drake Decoy, A. Elmer Crowell (1862-1952)

Lot 26

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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$25,000	$2,500
$50,000	$5,000

About Auction

The Sporting Sale 2022, Day 1 by Copley Fine Art Auctions

Live

The Sporting Sale 2022, Day 1

By Copley Fine Art Auctions

Jul 14, 2022

Set Reminder 2022-07-14 10:00:00 2022-07-14 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : The Sporting Sale 2022, Day 1 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/copley/the-sporting-sale-2022-day-1-9460 Lots 1-332 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com

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Lot Description

The du Pont Crowell Mallard Drake
A. Elmer Crowell (1862-1952)
East Harwich, MA, c. 1912
16 in. long

This bold drake decoy has remained with the same family since it was commissioned from Crowell 110 years ago. Today it survives in exceptional condition; while it was made as a decoy, it was never rigged for hunting. The form, paint, condition, and provenance of this rare decoy place it among Crowell’s very best of this species. When this decoy was made, mallards were not as prevalent along the Atlantic Flyway, as is evidenced by their scarce representation as decoys up and down the East Coast.

The pronounced breast sweeps to a drawn-back head that turns sharply to the right. The head has crisp rasped finishing, deep eye grooves, and pronounced bill detail. The body is finished with his excellent wet-on-wet feather blending. The long sweeping body was finished with carved tail feathers. The underside bears Crowell’s crisp oval brand, denoting an early strike. Like the incomparable Long preening goose, Crowell has painted right up to the edges, but not within the brand.

This lot hails from the same prominent family collection as the Crowell woodcock and blue jay in this sale.
Original paint with light wear, hairline crack in neck has been reset.

Provenance: Eugène E. du Pont Collection, acquired directly from the artist
Private Collection, by descent from the above

Literature: Stephen B. O'Brien Jr. and Chelsie W. Olney, "Elmer Crowell: Father of American Bird Carving," Hingham, MA, 2019, p. 35, later drake illustrated, p. 37, early hen illustrated.

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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