Antique Hollow Carved Black Duck Decoy Jesse Birdsall Barnegat Bay NJ
Carved from pine, the duck retains the bottom keel; its horizontal halves are doweled together almost invisibly with wooden pegs. The light weight of the "dugout" allows the duck to ride higher in the water and thus be more visible to birds. Glass eyes are brown with black centers.
Detailed feathers are carved into the wood, then painted a gold/brown. The head does not face forward, but turns ever so slightly -- and is hard to distinguish in texture, form and pose from a living bird. Charles Birdsall was the fourth generation of a Barnegat Bay family that included several carpenters, decoy makers and watermen. Jesse had been the captain of a coastal schooner, Nathaniel was a boat builder, and Eugene was a blacksmith and gunsmith.
Eugene, Charlies grandfather, and his brothers moved first to Toms River in 1883 and then moved again to Loveland Town (Point Pleasant today) in 1890. Charlies father and his Uncle Jesse were decoy makers in the original tradition of the Barnegat Bay carvers. The decoy is circa: 1930.
The decoy has dark chocolate-brown flanks, pale gray/green face, and olive-yellow bill has a curved line where its beak meets the head and the very tip of the beak is black. Today, on New Jerseys Barnegat Bay, Art Birdsall continues the family tradition of carving decoys.
Creating a seemingly alive duck from a hollowed out block of wood, Art Birdsall follows a process his family developed for over 150 years. 6.75" Tall x 14.75" Long (beak tip-feathers' end). Oval bottom is approximately 6.25" x 10.5". The item "Antique Hollow Carved Black Duck Decoy Jesse Birdsall Barnegat Bay NJ" is in sale since Tuesday, September 20, 2016.
This item is in the category "Sporting Goods\Hunting\Vintage Hunting\Duck Decoys". The seller is "supermall" and is located in Cincinnati, Ohio. This item can be shipped worldwide.
- Brand: Unbranded
- Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
- Region: Barnegat Bay, Pt. Pleasant, New Jersey
- Duck Type: Black Duck
- Material: Wood
- Features: Hollow Body