The Haid Mason Dust-Jacket Swan Decoy by Mason Decoy Factory (1896-1924)

Lot 131

About Seller

20 Winter Street
Pembroke, MA 02359
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

Bid Increments

Price	Bid Increment
$0	$50
$1,000	$100
$2,500	$250
$5,000	$500
$10,000	$1,000
$25,000	$2,500
$50,000	$5,000

About Auction

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

Live

The Winter Sale 2024, Day 1

By Copley Fine Art Auctions

Feb 23, 2024

Set Reminder 2024-02-23 10:00:00 2024-02-23 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : The Winter Sale 2024, Day 1 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/copley/the-winter-sale-2024-day-1-14595 Lots 1-238 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com

View Full Catalog (238)

Lot Description

The Haid Mason Dust-Jacket Swan
Mason Decoy Factory (1896-1924)
Detroit, MI, c. 1910
26 1/2 in. long, 21 1/2 in. tall.

This exceedingly rare premier-grade swan exhibits Mason’s best head carving, a high humped back, and “kick-up tail.” It retains exceptional paint with an appealing surface. The underside is fitted with a round lead-pipe weight.

This decoy was first discovered on Smith Island in the Chesapeake Bay in the 1960s. It was then exhibited on long-term loan for twenty years at the Havre de Grace Decoy Museum, also on the Chesapeake Bay.

The bird left the museum and Alan Haid, a leading Mason dealer, acquired this swan in the parking lot of a decoy show. The bird went on to rest prominently by a fireplace in his Connecticut decoy room. Given its rarity and outstanding condition, it was next chosen by Haid and Goldberger for the dust-jacket covers of the “Expanded” and “Updated” editions of their Mason Decoys books. With its provenance and accolades many consider it to be the finest Mason swan decoy to have survived.
Old gunning paint with moderate wear, a crack along the underside, and age line along the right side. Under the appealing craquelure paint, a chip to the top of tail was smoothed by a gunner.

Provenance: Discovered in a Smith Island, Maryland waterman's shack in the 1960s
Donald J. Federroll Collection, Maryland
The Alan and Elaine Haid Collection, acquired from the above
Private Collection, acquired from the above

Literature: Russ J. Goldberger and Alan Haid, "Mason Decoys: Expanded Edition,” Lewes, DE, 2014, back dust-jacket cover, exact decoy illustrated.
Russ J. Goldberger and Alan Haid, "Mason Decoys: Updated Edition,” Lewes, DE, 2014, back dust-jacket cover and p. 154, exact decoy illustrated.
Havre de Grace Decoy Museum, "The Canvasback," Fall 1994, p. 18, exact decoy illustrated.

Exhibited: Havre de Grace, Maryland, Havre de Grace Decoy Museum.

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
- Shipping info
  
  Copley does not offer in-house packing or shipping. For clients who require shipping, please complete the Shipping Release Form and return it with your payment. The form includes a list of shippers we frequently work with.