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THBWood Duck Pair
About Seller
20 Winter Street
Pembroke, MA 02359
United States
Founded in 2005, Copley Fine Art Auctions is a boutique auction house specializing in antique decoys and American, sporting, and wildlife paintings. Over the course of the last two decades, the firm has set auction records for not only individual decoy makers, but also entire carving regions. Copley...Read more
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About Auction
LiveFeb 12, 2015 - Feb 13, 2015
Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com
View Full Catalog (564)
- Lot Description
Charles "Shang" Wheeler (1872-1949), Stratford, CT
c. 1940
An extremely rare, preening wood duck drake and a turned-head hen.The pair exhibit carved bill detail, glass eyes, delicate crests, and raised wing tips. In 1923 Wheeler arrived on the competition carving scene with a bang. A newly formed conservation group led by Joel Barber called the Anti-Dusker Society sponsored one of the first decoy shows in the country in Bellport, Long Island. A carving competition held at the event was aimed at hunters in attendance to further advance the concept of shooting over decoys.
The inaugural event attracted amateur and professional carvers from near and far, and it was Wheeler who took home top amateur honors. Joel Barber stated that Wheeler’s model had demonstrated “the highest development yet reached in the American art of decoy carving.” According to authors Merkt and Lytle, “Wheeler carted off first prize at Bellport because he had introduced a new style to decoy painting.”
This preening drake displays many of the elements that top Wheeler collectors look for. The head is artfully and accurately turned around from the right side of the breast and is topped with a pronounced crest. The accurately presented bill is heavily incised and shoots across the bird's back, touching down between the raised wings. The bird's overall proportions and intricate combed paint are spot-on. The hen has a gently turned head and is executed with as much care as the drake, rounding out this impressive pair.
Due to Wheeler’s immense popularity in his own time, his decoys were in high demand and made their way up and down the Atlantic coast. One rig was used on South Carolina's Cooper River, which flows along the northern shore of Charleston.
"... another friend wrote 'There are plenty of ducks here [Cooper River, South Carolina] but they are wild and if I am to get my measure of them, I'll have to get some better stools than I am using.' "The writer [Wheeler] sent him a few good ones to try out and later received a letter saying, 'I had some bang-up duck shooting, better than the other fellows down here. My neighbor directly across the river... seems to think that I have some special kind of molasses and can't understand why all the ducks come to me. The real reason is... that I have the right kind of stool (yours) and it didn't take more than one look at his to know why the ducks pitch into my lot.' " - Charles E. "Shang" Wheeler
Provenance: Private Collection, VirginiaPrivate Collection
Literature: Henry C. Chitwood, "Connecticut Decoys," West Chester, PA, 1987, p. 72, exact pair of decoys illustrated.Charles E. Wheeler and Eugene V. Connett, ed., "Duck Shooting Along the Atlantic Tidewater," New York, NY, 1947, p. 73.
Condition
Condition: In original paint with minor wear, the hen has a few tight age lines.
- Shipping Info
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Shipping info
Copley Fine Art Auctions does not handle the shipping of any items. Shipping is the sole responsibility of the buyer. Once your payment has cleared, and we have received your authorized shipping release form items may be released for shipment. Copley Fine Art Auctions, LLC shall have no liability for any loss or damage to such items. Buyers should allow up to four weeks for shipment.PLEASE BE AWARE THAT INTERNET BIDDERS MAY NOT PICK UP THEIR ITEMS AT THE SALE SITE. ITEMS CAN BE PICKED UP BY APPOINTMENT OR SHIPPED STARTING FIVE DAYS AFTER THE CONCLUSION OF THE SALE
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