The Muller Horner Goose Decoy by Nathan Rowley Horner (1882-1942)

Lot 308

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 Winter Sale 2024, Day 2 by Copley Fine Art Auctions

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The Winter Sale 2024, Day 2

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Feb 24, 2024

Set Reminder 2024-02-24 10:00:00 2024-02-24 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : The Winter Sale 2024, Day 2 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/copley/the-winter-sale-2024-day-2-14614 Lots 239-480 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com

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Lot Description

The Muller Horner Goose
Nathan Rowley Horner (1882-1942)
West Creek, NJ, c. 1920
24 in. long

"He was much less prolific than Shourds, but his duck, brant, and goose decoys are among the most refined made on the New Jersey shore, with spare, elegant lines and subtly blended paint." — Robert Shaw, "Bird Decoys of North America"

An exceptional Canada goose decoy with schooner-like construction by one of New Jersey’s finest makers. Horner captured the essence of a swimming goose, leaving only that which he felt was necessary to create an impression of the real bird. Perhaps the most forward-reaching Horner Canada goose known, this elegant carving was meticulously hollowed to its featherlight state. The underside is marked with the coveted “ED TOWNSEND” stamp as part of this heralded Horner rig. The underside also bears the Muller Collection and Philadelphia Wildfowl Exposition ink stamps.
Excellent original paint with light gunning wear, a reset neck crack, and touch-up to a chip under bill tip.

Provenance: Ed Townsend Rig, Massachusetts
John Dilworth Collection
Dr. Peter J. Muller Jr. Collection
Private Collection

Literature: Joe Engers, “Dr. Peter J. Muller: Bringing a good eye and an artistic approach to decoy collecting,” Decoy Magazine, January/February 2008, p. 10, exact decoy illustrated. Kenneth L. Gosner, "Working Decoys of the Jersey Coast and Delaware Valley," Cranbury, NJ, 1985, p. 61, exact decoy illustrated (image reversed). Robert Shaw, "Bird Decoys of North America," New York, NY, 2010, p. 187, related example illustrated. Robert Shaw, "Call to the Sky: The Decoy Collection of James M. McCleery, M.D.," Houston, TX, 1992, p. 60, related example illustrated.

Exhibited: Philadelphia, PA, "Philadelphia Wildfowl Exposition," The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 1979.

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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