Sleeping Black Duck by Jess Heisler (1891-1943)

Lot 117

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

Live

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

Sleeping Black Duck
Jess Heisler (1891-1943)
Burlington, NJ, 1920
14 in. long

An excellent and important sleeping decoy from a river region dominated by straight-head decoys. John English is credited with drawing up the region's pattern and setting an unsurpassed bar for quality. In his broad wake, Heisler rose to the top and is believed to have introduced the sleeper to the region, with some later makers following his lead, to the delight of collectors.

Along with its rarity, this well-executed carving is among the maker's finest, with thin carved tail feathers and crisp primaries. The head and bill are carefully inlaid into the three-piece hollow body. Further separating this decoy from its few peers is the special attention paid to the stylized feather paint adorning every facet of the plumage with patterns of loops, dots, and dashes.

The underside is marked with a "BP-6" for the collection of Bob and Pauline White. When the Whites sold this decoy, it was conveyed that the bird had been exhibited at the Burlington County Museum and the Mercer Museum.
Original paint with light wear.

Provenance: Private Rig, Florence, New Jersey, and Odessa, California
Bob White Collection
Kangas Collection of Folk Art and Decoys
Private Collection, Florida

Literature: "Decoy Magazine," May/June 2019, p. 28, exact decoy illustrated. H. Harrison Huster and Doug Knight, "Floating Sculptures: The Decoys of the Delaware River," Spanish Fork, UT, 1982, p. 96, straight-head example illustrated. Exhibited: Doylestown, Pennsylvania, "Ducks, Decoys and the Delaware: A Regional Hunting Tradition," The Mercer Museum, 2004.

Condition

Please refer to the description; if you have additional questions, email colin@copleyart.com.
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