The Mackey-Muller Shourds Long-Tail Decoy by Harry V. Shourds (1861-1920)

Lot 12

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 2023, Day 1 by Copley Fine Art Auctions

Live

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 Mackey-Muller Shourds Long-Tail
Harry V. Shourds (1861-1920)
Tuckerton, NJ, c. 1890
13 1/2 in. long

This Shourds carving is considered one of the pinnacle gunning decoys out of New Jersey. In addition to its sterling condition, its documentation and rarity make it the maker’s most distinctive duck decoy. It was first recorded in the collections of William J. Mackey Jr. and Quintina Colio. Indeed, this carving was in at least three of Mackey’s public exhibitions and it bears his collection ink stamp three times, one in each of the following colors: red, black, and white. This drake was selected to represent Shourds in Milton Weiler’s 1969 Classic Decoy Series folio.

Muller acquired this decoy directly from the first Mackey auction in 1973. While in the Muller Collection, it was selected for the Ward Museum’s 1994-1995 Classic Decoys & Sporting Art exhibit. Recognizing it as the best of its kind, James R. Doherty illustrated this exact drake, alongside the hen from his own collection, in his Classic New Jersey Decoys book.

A longtime favorite of Dr. Muller’s, this decoy was selected for his collection’s logo ink stamp. This Muller stamp and the three Mackey stamps are on the underside.
Excellent original paint with light and even gunning wear, minor fill and touch-up at neck crack, and darkening to an old tail chip.

Provenance: Quintina Colio Collection
William J. Mackey Jr. Collection
Dr. Peter J. Muller Jr. Collection, acquired from the sale of the above, 1973
Thomas M. Evans Jr. Collection

Literature: James R. Doherty, Classic New Jersey Decoys, Louisville, KY, 2011, p. 54, pl. 80, exact decoy illustrated.
Copley Fine Art Auctions, The Winter Sale 2020, Charleston, SC, February 15, 2020, lot 11, exact decoy illustrated.
Richard A. Bourne Co., Inc., Very Rare and Important American Bird Decoys from the Collection of the late William J. Mackey Jr. of Belford, New Jersey, Hyannis, MA, 1973, Session I & II, lot 576, exact decoy illustrated.
Milton C. Weiler, The Classic Decoy Series: A Portfolio of Paintings, New York, NY, 1969, pl. 20, exact decoy illustrated.
Sam Dyke, et al., Classic Hunting Decoys & Sporting Art, Salisbury, MD, 1994, p. 15, exact decoy illustrated.
Joe Engers, “Dr. Peter J. Muller: Bringing a good eye and an artistic approach to decoy collecting,” Decoy Magazine, January/February 2008, cover and p. 10, exact decoy illustrated.

EXHIBITED: Manhattan, New York, The Decoy Maker’s Craft, IBM Gallery of Arts and Sciences, August 29-October 1, 1966.
St. Paul, Minnesota, American Bird Decoys Selected from the Collection of William J. Mackey Jr., St. Paul Art Center, September 28-November 12, 1967.
Oshkosh, Wisconsin, American Bird Decoys Selected from the Collection of William J. Mackey Jr., The Paine Art Center and Arboretum, December 2-31, 1967.
Salisbury, Maryland, Classic Hunting Decoys & Sporting Art, Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, September 20, 1994-January 1, 1995.

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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