Frank W. Benson (1862-1951), Two Duck Hunters

Lot 40

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

The Winter Sale 2026, Day 1 by Copley Fine Art Auctions

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The Winter Sale 2026, Day 1

By Copley Fine Art Auctions

Feb 20, 2026

Set Reminder 2026-02-20 10:00:00 2026-02-20 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : The Winter Sale 2026, Day 1 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/copley/the-winter-sale-2026-day-1-22120 Lots 1-300 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com

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Lot Description

Frank W. Benson (1862-1951)
Two Duck Hunters, 1926
signed and dated "F.W. Benson '26" lower left
watercolor, 24 1/2 by 17 1/2 in.
Vose Galleries, Boston, Massachusetts, label on back

Showing elements of his "Big Four" etchings, Two Duck Hunters showcases Benson's figural skills as an artist. This fine watercolor of two hunters returning from a successful hunt at the end of the day with a good bag of waterfowl is comparable to the original watercolor of "Old Tom," which was painted in 1923 and today can be found in the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Exhibited: (possibly) New York, E. & A. Milch Gallery, "An Exhibition of Etchings and Watercolors by Frank W. Benson," November-December, 1926. Boston, Massachusetts, Vose Galleries, "Frank W. Benson Watercolor Exhibition," October 7-December 1, 1997

Provenance: E. & A. Milch Gallery, New York, 1926
William H. Wheelock, Mt. Kisco, New York
By descent in the family
Private Collection
Private Collection, Dover, Massachusetts
Private Collection, acquired from Copley Fine Art Auctions, The Sporting Sale 2010, lot 10

Literature: Zac Zetterberg, ed., "American Decoy: The Invention," Peoria, IL, 2020, p. 27, illustrated. Sotheby's, "American Paintings, Drawings, and Sculpture," New York, May 24, 2000, p. 58, lot 36, illustrated. Copley Fine Art Auctions, "The Sporting Sale 2010," Plymouth, MA, July 22-23, 2010, lot 10, illustrated.

Exhibited: Peoria, Illinois, "Masterworks of the Illinois River," Center for American Decoys, Peoria Riverfront Museum Boston, Massachusetts, Vose Galleries, "Frank W. Benson Watercolor Exhibition," October 7 - December 1, 1997

Condition

Please email condition report requests to leah@copleyart.com.
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