The Winous Point Black Duck

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The Sporting Sale 2025, Day 2

By Copley Fine Art Auctions

Jul 11, 2025

Set Reminder 2025-07-11 10:00:00 2025-07-11 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : The Sporting Sale 2025, Day 2 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/copley/the-sporting-sale-2025-day-2-19846
Lots 317-638 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com

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• Lot Description
  The Winous Point Black Duck
  Philadelphia, PA, c. 1860
  15 3/4 in. long
  
  This early, hollow example hails from the Winous Point Shooting Club of Port Clinton, Ohio. This black duck has historically been referred to as the "Daguerreotype decoy" because birds of this form are seen in the foreground of an iconic 1861 image of several club members and the clubhouse amidst a variety of hunting accoutrements. Jeff Hay believed this to be an exact decoy in the 1861 image.
  
  As a testament to the importance of this carving, it is given the following extensive description in a 2015 "Decoy Magazine" article: "A 15-inch long, elegant black duck with a dry, thin-painted surface is believed to be one of the seven decoys in the photo. The head sits on a slight oval shelf, set back about two inches from the breast. It has a pronounced brow, translucent glass bead eyes and cheeks that look to be filled with the wild rice of Sandusky Bay. There is a minimally carved transition from head to bill, carved nostrils halfway down, and a modest incision suggesting the lower mandible. There is a V-carved groove behind the head and a slight ridge on the back that is more pronounced as it reaches the tail. The underside of the tail is spoon-like with roughly gouged lines. The bottom has an egg-shaped flat surface with an empty 2-inch round weight recess. The body is split into equal parts and hollowed with no outward evidence of the connecting method of the body halves or the head. The bird appears to be substantial, but is light in the hand. The only decoy that competes with the beauty and form of this bird would be the preening pintail hen that remains at the club."
  
  A close study of the construction and carving details of this decoy suggests it may have come from the same workshop as the iconic dovetailed geese and shorebirds. The Earnest-O'Brien Dovetailed Goose sold for $810,000 in 2018 and holds the record for a goose by any maker at auction. This black duck and the dovetailed goose show notable similarities, such as the carving treatment under the tail and behind the neck, and the interior construction.
  
  This exact decoy was selected by Jeff and Joyce Hay for the special "Ohio Decoys" exhibition in 2015.
  Original paint with even gunning wear and minor chip to left side of body seam.
  
  Provenance: Porter Rig, Winous Point Shooting Club
  Kangas Collection
  Jeff and Joyce Hay Collection
  
  Literature: Jeff and Joyce Hay, "Ohio Decoys," St. Charles, IL, April 2015, p. 29, exact decoy illustrated. Jeff and Joyce Hay, "Ohio Decoys flock to the Midwest Show," Decoy Magazine, January/February 2015, p. 25, exact decoy illustrated. Donna Tonelli, "Fish and Fowl Decoys of The Great Lakes," Atglen, PA, 2002, p. 27, exact decoy illustrated. Gene and Linda Kangas, "Decoys: A North American Survey," Spanish Fork, UT, 1983, p. 110 (upper left), exact decoy illustrated.

  Condition

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