SCARCE EARLY 20TH CENTURY GREATER SCAUP (BLUEBILL) AME RI CAN FOLK ART, ANTIQUE PRIMITIVE HAND CARVED & HAND PAINTED SPORTING DUCK DECOY, featuring YELLOW & BLACK PAINTED EYES, AFFIXED LEAD BALLAST on BASEPLATE, TETHER HOOK PORTS & ARTICULATED WINGS, REALIZED with BLACK PAINT. Estate fresh & new to the marketplace. Found in rural, north-central Massachusetts, north of Worcester, MA. The painted eyes point to a particularly early American folk art sporting duck decoy.
As with many antique & vintage wooden decoys, used in the field and subjected to hours partially submerged in water, they were often touched-up or redressed with paint by their original owners who sought to maintain their decoys, not to embellish them, for no other reason than to continue using them. Mid-20th century, post-WWII, Ame ri can folk art, New England primitive antique hand carved & hand painted white cedar. 5 ½ " Height x 15 ½ " Length x 6 ¾ Depth.Offered for your review and consideration is this really very handsome, early 20th century American folk art, antique primitive, hand carved and hand painted, solid body, with a stationary head, white cedar wooden sporting duck decoy. The North American duck realized, is known as a Greater Scaup or colloquially, better known as a bluebill duck. What makes this sporting duck decoy particularly early are its yellow and black pupil painted eyes. Early duck decoys have painted eyes, then replaced with metal nail fasteners or headed brads for eyes and then finally to be replaced with glass eyes, seen in the early to mid-20th century.
The painted eyes suggest an earlier decoy. Another distinctive feature on this wonderfully painted decoy are its articulated wings and rear tail feathers, not carved, as is often seen with later Canadian sporting duck decoys but entirely depicted with paint. This surface treatment is quite early and points to a rural, homemade, untrained provenance. An absolutely wonderful, primitive, very folky, early 20th century antique bluebill sporting duck decoy. A great early 20th century American antique sporting artifact. Good to Very Good overall antique condition. As with many antique & vintage wooden duck decoys, used in the field and subjected to hours partially submerged in water, they were often touched-up or redressed with paint by their original owners, who only sought to maintain their decoys, not to embellish them, for no other reason than to continue using them.This item is in the category "Sporting Goods\Hunting\Vintage Hunting\Duck Decoys". The seller is "modsanctuary" and is located in this country: US. This item can be shipped worldwide.