The Hunter-Doherty Wood Duck Hen Decoy

Lot 239

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

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 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 Hunter-Doherty Wood Duck Hen
Delaware River, c. 1870
13 1/2 in. long

The rarity of early working wood duck decoys cannot be overstated, with hens nearly impossible to find. This early, hollow Delaware River decoy was made with three-piece body construction and displays an uplifted tail. The inlaid head was made with vertically laminated two-piece construction. Incised detail outlines the sweeping crest.

The underside retains the imprint of a Hunter Collection tag and a Doherty Collection sticker. This provenance is notable as Charlie Hunter specifically targeted the finest early wood duck carvings, including a world-record-setting Lincoln drake and the Sterling standing drake (lot 103). Jim and Pat Doherty, who were known to acquire the finest examples from the Philadelphia area, were the natural succeeding owners.

This exact decoy set a world-record price for John Blair Sr. in 1989 at $30,250when Hunter acquired it. This placed it in the top ten for the year and outpaced a closely related wood duck drake that set the Blair record the previous year.
Original paint with even gunning wear and a reset bill.

Provenance: Charles S. Hunter III Collection
Jim and Pat Doherty Collection
Private Collection

Literature: "Decoy Magazine," September/October 1989, p. 13, exact decoy illustrated. "1989 Year in Review," Decoy Magazine, p. 9, exact decoy illustrated. Kenneth L. Gosner, "Working Decoys of the Jersey Coast and Delaware Valley," Cranbury, NJ, 1985, front dust-jacket cover and color plate 17.A., related drake 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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