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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Feb 12, 2015 - Feb 13, 2015
Charles Sumner Bunn (1865-1952) Shinnecock, NY or William "Bill" Bowman (1824-1906) Bangor, ME and Lawrence, NY
c. 1900
One of the finest dowitcher decoys known. This richly colored shorebird decoy exhibits pronounced shoulder, cheek, raised-wing, and slightly dropped tail carving. The head has deeply-recessed, German bead glass eyes, and its original bill.
In 1970, pioneer decoy collector William Mackey wrote the text for Weiler’s “Classic Shorebird Decoys” portfolio. Of the maker's work, across from plate 3 he writes they "...have the feel of real birds. His knowledge and study of the live bird and his skill with a knife transferred the feel of the wishbone, the unfolded wings and the modeling of the bone structure to blocks of wood. His was a unique talent not given to any other decoy maker.” Mackey also states “nothing finer has been found ever since.”
Provenance: Private Collection
Literature: Dr. Cynthia Byrd, "The Decoys of Long Island," Water Mill, NY, 2010, p. 39, similar example illustrated.
Quintina Colio, "American Decoys," Ephrata, PA, 1972, pp. 68 and 69, similar example illustrated.
William J. Mackey, Jr., "American Bird Decoys," New York, NY, 1965, p. 103, plate 87, similar example illustrated.
Milton C. Weiler and William J. Mackey, Jr., "Classic Shorebird Decoys: A Portfolio of Paintings," New York, NY, 1971, plate 3.
Condition: Original paint with light gunning wear, and minor restoration to very tips of wings.
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