EUR
CAD
AUD
GBP
MXN
HKD
CNY
MYR
SEK
SGD
CHF
THBThe O'Brien Chambers Wood Duck Decoy by Thomas Chambers (1860-1948)
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
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Two ways to bid:
- Leave a max absentee bid and the platform will bid on your behalf up to your maximum bid during the live auction.
- Bid live during the auction and your bids will be submitted real-time to the auctioneer.
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
LiveJul 13, 2023
Lots 1-243 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com
View Full Catalog (243)
- Lot Description
The O'Brien Chambers Wood Duck
Thomas Chambers (1860-1948)
Wallaceburg, Ontario, Canada, c. 1900
15 in. long
“There are few, if any, areas in North America which provide such accessible hunting for such a large number and variety of ducks and geese. Furthermore, no area of such relatively small size contains such a wide range of waters on which to hunt. These factors have contributed to the rich and remarkable Heritage of decoys produced by the decoy makers of Michigan and the St. Clair Flats.
“The ideal nature of this area for hunting did not escape the attention of the market gunners or sportsmen, and the decoy makers responded by the middle of the 19th century to give folk art collectors some of the earliest and finest examples of wildfowl decoys.”
— Donal C. O’Brien Jr., "Waterfowl Decoys of Michigan and the Lake St. Clair Region", 1983
Thomas Chambers (1860-1948) was born in Toronto, Ontario. He hunted ducks and geese as a boy and sold his excess quarry to the market. He was tapped by sportsmen, including George Warin (1830-1905), to be the Keeper at the newly founded St. Anne’s Club on the Chenal Ecarte, which flows into Lake St. Clair. In 1900, when the nearby St. Clair Flats Shooting Company was looking for a new Keeper, they asked Warin, a respected founder and a former president of their club. Warin recommended Chambers, which would be fortuitous for all parties.
Incorporated in 1874, the St. Clair Flats Shooting Company, also known as the Canada Club, was one of the oldest hunting clubs on Lake St. Clair. Chambers lived on the club’s property in an adjacent house with his wife and three children. Chambers would remain the club’s Keeper until his retirement in 1943. According to author Bernard Crandell, it was during this time as manager that the 6 foot, 1 inch Chambers earned the nickname “King Tom.” Over the years, the membership of the Canada Club gradually changed from all Canadians to predominantly Americans.
In addition to his work for the club, Chambers was also one of the nation’s most accomplished carvers. His decoys were in high demand from the members and even during the Depression a rig of a dozen Chambers decoys would command the unheard-of price of $75.
Many, including Canadian decoy scholar Paul Brisco, consider this carving to be the finest Canadian decoy known. Co-authors Clune Walsh Jr. and Lowell Jackson, as well as Paul Johnsgard, chose this exact decoy for the cover of their respective books, Waterfowl Decoys of Michigan and the Lake St. Clair Region and The Bird Decoy: An American Art Form.
Few decoys have evoked the acclaim of this wood duck. It is among the greatest carvings of this species from any region, alongside peak examples by A. Elmer Crowell (1862-1952), Charles E. “Shang” Wheeler (1872-1949), Joseph W. Lincoln (1859-1938), the unknown maker who carved two drakes for the Tyzzer rig, and the Mason Decoy Factory (1896-1924).
One of only two Chambers wood ducks known to exist, this example, with its exceptional form, paint, and condition, is the better of the two. Chambers captured the likeness of species of the summer duck effectively, paying special attention to the subtle nuances of the duck’s bill, eyes, and crest. Well over one hundred years old, the decoy maintains nearly invisible neck and bottom board seams, a testament to Chambers’ crafts- manship. The bottom board was fashioned from a food- packing crate and is thus branded on the underside “GUARANTEED BY H.J. HEINZ.”
The bottom board is also branded “GEO. M. HENDRIE.” George M. Hendrie was a St. Clair Flats Shooting Company member from 1889 to 1943.
This iconic bird held a special place in O’Brien’s collection, residing in his den alongside his dovetailed Canada goose.
Outstanding original paint with minor gunning wear, working putty to a sliver under the bill, and minimal touch-up under tail.
Provenance: George M. Hendrie Rig
Private St. Clair Flats Shooting Company Member
Ronald Swanson Collection, acquired from the estate of the above, c. 1970
Donal C. O’Brien Jr. Collection, acquired from the above, c. 1978
Thomas M. Evans Jr. Collection
Literature: Paul A. Johnsgard, "The Bird Decoy: An American Art Form," Lincoln, NE, 1976, front dust jacket and pl. 108, exact decoy illustrated.
Clune Walsh Jr. and Lowell G. Jackson, "Waterfowl Decoys of Michigan and the Lake St. Clair Region," Detroit, MI, 1983, pl. 16 and on the slipcase cover of the deluxe edition, exact decoy illustrated.
Laurence Sheehan, "The Sporting Life," New York, NY, 1992, p. 79, exact decoy illustrated.
Jackson Parker, “O’Brien Classic Decoys on Display at Museum of American Folk Art,” North American Decoys: Wildfowl Carvers and Collectors News, Spanish Fork, UT, Spring/Summer 1982, p. 32, exact decoy illustrated.
Jeff Waingrow, “The American Decoy: Folk Sculpture from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Donal C. O’Brien Jr.,” The Clarion: America’s Folk Art Magazine, Fall 1981, p. 32, exact decoy illustrated.
Loy S. Harrell Jr., "Decoys: North America’s One Hundred Greatest," Iola, WI, 2000, pp. 10-11, exact decoy illustrated.
Exhibited: New York, New York, “The Art of the American Decoy: Folk Sculpture from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Donal C. O’Brien Jr.,” Museum of American Folk Art, September 3-November 8, 1981.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
-
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.
-
- Buyer's Premium
