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THBThe Masterworks Graves Teal Pair by Bert Graves (1880-1956)
Lot 177
About Seller
Copley Fine Art Auctions
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
Live
By Copley Fine Art Auctions
Feb 20, 2026
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2026-02-20 10:00:00
2026-02-20 10:00:00
America/New_York
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Lots 1-300 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com
Lots 1-300 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com
View Full Catalog (298)
- Lot Description
The Masterworks Graves Teal Pair
Bert Graves (1880-1956)
Peoria, IL, c. 1925
10 1/2 in. long
Teal decoys in good original paint by the top Illinois river decoy makers are exceedingly rare; only a handful are known by the Ellistons and Schoenheider, and a few more by the Perdews survived. Graves teal appear to be the rarest of these decoys. No Graves green-winged teal have come to light and this blue-winged pair are the only two known to have surfaced.
The pair has Graves' distinct hollow-body construction details, and each has an alert head turned to the right. Catherine Elliston's original paint is an important ingredient for Graves' best decoys and her mastery of the brush is on full display with this pair. As was a regional custom, the drake's head is predominantly blue.
Like much of the Masterworks of the Illinois River Collection, these decoys have spent decades on tour in museums throughout the Midwest and Atlantic Coast.
Excellent original paint with light gunning wear, including a small rub to drake's crown.
Provenance: Masterworks of the Illinois River Collection
Literature: Stephen B. O'Brien Jr. and Julie Carlson, "Masterworks of the Illinois River," Boston, MA, 2005, p. 101, exact pair illustrated. Zac Zetterberg, ed., "American Decoy: The Invention," Peoria, IL, 2020, p. 80, exact pair illustrated.
Exhibited: Salisbury, Maryland, "The Illinois River Meets the Chesapeake," Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, September 2-November 13, 2005. Peoria, Illinois, "American Decoy: The Invention," Peoria Riverfront Museum, February 9-April 28, 2019.Please refer to the description; if you have additional questions, email colin@copleyart.com.Condition
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