The Mackey-Haertel Hooded Merganser Pair, Harold Haertel (1904-1995)

Lot 83

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 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 Mackey-Haertel Hooded Merganser Pair
Harold Haertel (1904-1995)
Dundee, IL, 1963
13 in. long

These two decoys were gifted with the inscription on the bottom: "To Bill Mackey from Harold Haertel, 1963." This forward-preening hen and a slightly turned-head drake represent two of the most important Haertel decoys to ever come on the market.

In his pioneer decoy collecting book, Mackey writes in his last chapter, "The unsung folk art of decoy making has survived with all its traditions and has passed into a fresh phase in the work of eminent contemporary carvers as Lloyd Johnson and Harold Haertel of Dundee, IL..." In the same volume, he includes a Haertel carving, the only contemporary bird in the book. In its caption, he writes, "Proud owners of his work float them on mantles, and wildfowl never see them." The accolades continue in Quintina Colio's "American Decoys," dedicated to Mackey.
Excellent original paint with minimal wear.

Provenance: William J. Mackey Jr. Collection
Private Collection, Massachusetts
Private Collection, Florida

Literature: Richard A. Bourne Co. Inc., "Collection of the Late William J. Mackey Jr.," Hyannis, MA, July 10, 1974, lot 585, exact decoys illustrated. Copley Fine Art Auctions, "The Winter Sale 2012," New York, NY, January 16, 2012, lot 142, exact decoys illustrated. William J. Mackey Jr., "American Bird Decoys," New York, NY, 1965, pp. 193 and 248, Haertel discussed.

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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