VL&A Mallard Drake by The Ward Brothers

Lot 143

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 Sporting Sale 2025, Day 1 by Copley Fine Art Auctions

Live

The Sporting Sale 2025, Day 1

By Copley Fine Art Auctions

Jul 10, 2025

Set Reminder 2025-07-10 10:00:00 2025-07-10 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : The Sporting Sale 2025, Day 1 https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/copley/the-sporting-sale-2025-day-1-19844 Lots 1-316 Copley Fine Art Auctions cinnie@copleyart.com

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Lot Description

VL&A Mallard Drake
The Ward Brothers
Lemuel T. (1896-1984) and Stephen (1895-1976)
Crisfield, MD, c. 1936
17 in. long

"Stephen W. Ward (1895-1976) and his brother Lemuel Travis Ward (1896-1984) of Crisfield, Maryland were by far the most prominent Chesapeake Bay carvers of the twentieth century and among the greatest and most influential bird carvers of all time. The brothers worked closely together throughout their lives, combining the complementary talents of Steve's hand carving and Lem's brushwork to create works of extraordinary grace and realism." - Robert Shaw, "Bird Decoys of North America"

A fine Ward mallard drake that features Steve's celebrated and classic 1936 form with turned head, high back, and thin rounded tail.

The underside of the decoy is marked with a stamp under the tail reading "Hand Made, Distributed by, VL&A, Chicago, ILL." This unrigged male also still retains its paper VL&A price tag reading "10.00 EA." Von Lengerke & Antoinne was the preeminent sporting goods retailer of Chicago, and had been acquired by Abercrombie & Fitch by the time the Wards made decoys for them. Ron Gard points out in his book on the brothers, "It is indeed a credit to the artistry of the Wards, that the prestigious department store, Von Lengerke and Antoine (VL&A), sold the Ward mallard and pintail decoys to hunters throughout the Mississippi Flyway. This area was home to some of the finest decoy makers in America."

Attesting to this drake decoy's allure, it was selected by an early collector to be preserved in its unrigged state as part of a lamp.
Original paint with minimal wear and a hairline crack in bill has been cleanly reset, touch-up to back of neck seam and to one-inch spot on back and right side.

Literature: Ronald J. Gard and Brian J. McGrath, "The Ward Brothers' Decoys: A Collector's Guide," Plano, TX, 1989, pp. 83-86, related drakes illustrated and discussed.

Condition

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