The Earnest-Gregory-McCleery Dovetailed Goose Decoy from Massachusetts or Pennsylvania

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The Sporting Sale 2023, Day 1

By Copley Fine Art Auctions

Jul 13, 2023

Set Reminder 2023-07-13 10:00:00 2023-07-13 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : The Sporting Sale 2023, Day 1 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/copley/the-sporting-sale-2023-day-1-12989
Lots 1-243 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com

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• Lot Description

  The Earnest-Gregory-McCleery Dovetailed Goose
  Massachusetts or Pennsylvania, c. 1880
  29 3/4 in. long, 17 1/2 in. tall
  
  “The finest bird in my collection.” — Donal C. O’Brien Jr., discussing a rigmate to The Earnest-Gregory-McCleery Dovetailed Goose
  
  Few, if any, decoys conjure the imagination more than the three elegant Canada goose creations by this unknown maker. The trio was sourced over sixty years ago, in 1954, by famed collector and author Adele Earnest (1901-1993) in Columbia, Pennsylvania, and she credits these exact birds for inspiring her “subsequent devotion to the decoy as an art."
  
  Upon first impression, the decoy's presence is commanding. Quickly, the subtle refinements present themselves and invite the viewer to enjoy its features from tip to tail. The artist’s rendering of the bill perfectly captures the nuances of the species, starting with delicate mandible, nostril, and incised carving at the face connection. The head is carefully sculpted with pronounced cheeks and eye grooves that finish at the back of the crown. The graceful S-shaped neck flares at its dovetailed base. Here expert craftsmanship allows for easy removal of the head and neck when transporting the decoy to and from the field. The bottom of the dovetail reveals a two-tone painted “3” that corresponds to a matching number inside the joint within the body. In addition, both head and body sections have three small impressions to match and identify each.
  
  The maker’s construction techniques and wood selection were meticulous. The craftsman retained the strength of the grain through the long neck and forward-reaching head by joining two pieces with a complex lap joint. The decoy, sculpted in a swimming pose, shows a detailed groove behind the head that transitions into a subtle raised chine, which runs along the length of the bird’s back. The maker went to great lengths, finishing the underside of the thin paddle tail with fastidious gauge carving rarely seen on the underside of any decoy. The bottom of the goose is fitted for a cross-shaped brass inset weight. This weight doubles as a flange, with a threaded hole in the middle, allowing the decoy to act as either a floater or stickup decoy. True to his craft, the maker's diligent work is further revealed in x-rays, most notably in the hand-scooped hollowing of the body.
  
  The two finest of the three Earnest dovetailed goose decoys were acquired by iconic folk art collector Stewart E. Gregory (1913-1976) of Wilton, Connecticut. Gregory was the chairman of the board of the Wilton Historical Society, in addition to serving as both the vice president and a trustee for the American Folk Art Museum during the 1960s and 70s.
  
  In addition to Earnest’s geese, Gregory’s collection contained numerous pieces acquired from early and noted Americana dealer Mary Allis (1899-1987). His prominent folk art collection featured works by Ammi Phillips (1788-1865) and Erastus Salisbury Field (1805-1900), in addition to decoys, hooked rugs, weathervanes, and tinware. The American Folk Art Museum exhibited Gregory’s collection in the 1972 exhibition titled “An Eye on America: Folk Art from the Stewart E. Gregory Collection.”
  
  Seven years later, this decoy and its mate were both sold at the historic Stewart E. Gregory Sale at Sotheby Parke Bernet in 1979, where a “mob scene” filled the gallery with standing room only. Among many world records set, this exact goose became the new high-water mark for any decoy, just edging out its mate. According to American Folk Art Museum Director Gerard C. Wertkin, the Gregory Sale “is often considered a watershed in the field because of the widespread public interest that it engendered and the high prices that it realized. Indeed, many of the finest works acquired by Gregory are now in the collections of important American museums.”
  
  This decoy was next seen publicly in the “Call to the Sky,” a museum exhibition and book featuring the James M. McCleery Collection.
  
  Specialists in the decoy collecting world have long heralded the two Earnest-Gregory dovetailed geese as the very best the field has to offer. "Antiques and the Arts Weekly" reported that the McCleery sale’s decoy specialists, Frank Schmidt and Gary Guyette, both deemed this goose to be their "favorite" lot in the auction. Donal C. O’Brien Jr.'s love for these decoys was also widely known. O’Brien judged his own Earnest-Gregory rigmate to be “the finest bird in his collection.” Indeed, that rigmate was the top-priced lot in the O’Brien sales. That rigmate also holds the distinction of setting the world record for any Canada goose decoy ever sold at auction.
  Excellent original paint with chip to base of neck, minor touch-up and putty to very tip of bill, and left eye is a replacement.
  
  Provenance: Adele Earnest, acquired in Columbia, Pennsylvania, 1954
  Stewart E. Gregory Collection, acquired from the above
  Dr. James M. McCleery Collection
  Private Collection
  Thomas M. Evans Jr. Collection
  
  Literature: Sotheby Parke Bernet Inc., "Important American Folk Art and Furniture: The Distinguished Collection of the Late Stewart E. Gregory, Wilton, Connecticut," Sale 4209, New York, NY, January 27, 1979, lot 148, exact decoy illustrated.
  Robert Shaw, "Call to the Sky: The Decoy Collection of James M. McCleery, M.D.," Houston, TX, 1992, p. 11, exact decoy illustrated.
  Robert Shaw, "Bird Decoys of North America," New York, NY, 2010, p. 5, detail of O’Brien decoy illustrated, p. 168, exact decoy illustrated.
  Ronald J. Gard and Robert Shaw, eds., "The McCleery Auction," Dallas, TX, 2001, p. 150, favorite McCleery bird discussed, pp. 56, 154, 202, and front dust jacket cover, exact decoy illustrated.
  Rita Reif, "Carved Birds Captured by a Connoisseur's Eye," The New York Times, January 9, 2000, p. 49, exact decoy illustrated.
  Loy S. Harrell Jr., "Decoys: North America’s One Hundred Greatest," Iola, WI, 2000, pp. 176-177, O’Brien rigmate illustrated.
  Adele Earnest, "Folk Art In America," Exton, PA, 1984, p. 183, Gregory discussed, p. 125, discovery discussed, pp. 130-131, Lauren rigmate illustrated twice, p. 172, an Earnest-Gregory goose illustrated.
  Adele Earnest, "The Art of the Decoy," New York, NY, 1965, pp. 8-9, Lauren rigmate illustrated.
  Jackson Parker, "O'Brien Classic Decoys on Display," Maine Antiques Digest, November 1981, p. 32-B, O’Brien rigmate illustrated.
  Laurence Sheehan, "The Sporting Life," New York, NY, 1992, pp. 78, 80, O’Brien rigmate illustrated.
  
  Exhibited: Houston, Texas, "Call to the Sky: The Decoy Collection of James M. McCleery, M.D.," Houston Museum of Natural History, 1992-1993.

  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.

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