NR MINT RARE SUPERB 1950 MICHIGAN ONTARIO HOLLOW TEAL Wood Decoy ST CLAIR FLAT
NR MINT RARE SUPERB 1950 MICHIGAN ONTARIO HOLLOW TEAL Wood Decoy ST CLAIR FLAT. NEAR MINT CONDITION, AWESOME, HOLLOW. Vintage c1950 Michigan or Ontario.
"HEN GREEN-WINGED TEAL" (Red Cedar) Wood Duck Decoy. Clair Flats -or- Lake St Clair.
FLAT-BOTTOMED FOR OPEN WATER STABILITY & HIGH VISIBILITY! OUTSTANDING FORM INCLUDING A VERY NICE "PERFECTLY PROPORTIONED" TEAL HEAD!! OUTSTANDING CARVING DETAIL with ALL WING FEATHERS including "CROSSED & RAISED WING TIPS" & TAIL!!! Please Use the Zoom Feature to See It!! BEAUTIFULLY & PRECISELY CARVED HEAD & BILL THAT LOOK CAST from an ACTUAL BILL with a VERY NICE, HIGH, WELL SCULPTED, NECK SHELF! EXCELLENT & PERFECTLY LOCATED BROWN, IMPORTED, TAXIDERMIST GRADE EYES EYES!! Incredibly Symmetrical Carving a Perfect Hollowed in the Middle made of Hollowed Red Cedar Body!!! BEAUTIFUL "HEN" GREEN-WINGED TEAL SPECULUM!! Outstanding SCRATCH PAINT TO HEAD NAPE, BACK, WINGS & TAIL!!! BREAST, SIDES AND TAIL has SUPERB FINE BRUSH PAINT with LIGHT on DARK FEATHERATION!!!!!Teal Decoys Measure 10-1/4" long x 4-3/8" wide x 5-1/4 tall. Weighs and this Hollow Bird Weighs an ASTOUNDING 9-ozs. THAT IS FANTASTIC & Makes for a PERFECT LIFE-SIZED DECOY!!
INCREDIBLE OLD GUNNING BIRD with INCREDIBLE CARVING & PAINT DETAIL; Keel was Removed when This Awesome Hen Teal was Retired!!! This Very Rare, 66+ Year-old, Hollow, Red Cedar, "Green Blue-Winged Teal female" wooden decoy is a very nice, perfectly formed, classic flat-bottomed duck decoy and is most likely from either the American or Canadian side of the St. Clair Flats and open waters of Lake St.
This decoy has similarities to decoys from both sides of the lake and most closely those decoys that were used on the Canadian side. The body suggests Lake St. Clair, but it was a feature fairly widespread so it could be from the Canadian side just as likely as the American side or possibly even Saginaw Bay a stone's throw to the north.This decoy was made from one perfectly grained piece of a red cedar stock, was hollowed in two halves much like Illinois River decoys and Has Awesome Form. Again, these decoys resemble decoys that were made on both the American and Canadian side of the region. The lead weighted Keel and line tie have long been removed but the patina to the paint is exceptional. I would call this decoy mint instead of near mint if not for the fact that the keel was removed and there is one small scratch on the right upper back. This decoy was carved and painted perfectly symmetrical and has a very nicely carved in bill/head separation, nostrils, upper and lower mandibles and nail on the nib of the bill.
The bill is so realistic it looks like it was cast from the bill of a real hen green0winged teal. The head of this decoy flows perfectly into the beautifully formed neck seat and the head is as firmly attached to the inside of the hollow body as if done yesterday. The imported taxidermist-grade glass eyes are remarkable and were carved in and locate perfectly; they even were carved in with an elliptical form to show eye lids.
The beautifully contoured body ascends up to the high, somewhat humped back and then gradually descends and tapers down and climaxes into a fairly thick, beautifully carved and medium-height tail. This paint is 100% original and was done in several phases. The back, top of the head and neck plus the tail were all given a base coat of light gray/brown and a second coat of darker grey/brown. Then these areas were all scratch painted down to the lighter undercoat to give it the awesome feather vermiculation.The sides and front of the neck and head were given a base coat of dark grey/brown and the feathering was done with an extremely small brush coat of feathers over the top. NOTE THE GORGEOUS AND VERY FINE SCRATCH AND FINE BRUSH PAINT JOB AS DESCRIBED ABOVE!
NOTE THE INCREDIBLE RELIEF-CARVED CROSSED WING TIPS THAT ARE NOT INSET BUT RATHER PART OF THE ORIGINAL BLOCK of WOOD!! ALSO NOTE THE FLUTED TAIL CARVING AND BACK WING FEATHERS! The head is awesome and it is beautifully rounded with a realistic bill and the Glass eyes were located with perfection. This Hen is hollow-bodied from a time period when some hunters preferred a life-sized carved decoy that was hollowed and went with slightly larger numbers than the solid-bodied blocks some were making. Very typical of the region is the head mounting which was done with a large screw from the bottom of the hollowed top half of the decoy.
The head is as firmly attached to the body of this decoy as if it were made yesterday, which again is a strong indicator of the carving and construction talents of the maker. Very awesome and Scarce Species and gender for Anywhere including the Great lakes region. The head is posed in a somewhat alert position and the head has the looks of a contented bird ready to feed, rest and sleep. Exceptional condition for a wood block over a half-century old and a nice addition. To your duck decoy and shorebird collection. This decoy is as solid as the day it was made and absolutely nothing is loose. I would think that this decoy was lightly hunted over for a part of a season and is just a very well made decoy that doesn't show any edge wear and has always been incredibly well taken care of and then was retired into a collection free of direct sunlight and in a temperature controlled environment. The incredible craftsmanship and choice cedar it was created from gave it the pedigree to age and persevere in its original condition very well.Also, in conjunction with the red cedar stock, I'm sure that the old quality and durable lead or oil-based paint that was used to adorn it also helped to preserve its original condition. Like many of the other vintage decoys from the region, this decoy was made to withstand a beating with its thick body, neck and sturdy tail that all look like they could be banged hard and come through perfectly unscathed.
Even the crossed wing tips were made thick to withstand abuse and yet give it that extra touch of realism. Both ends of this decoy were carved perfectly "with the grain" of the wood and it would have had to have been banged pretty good to break anything. BELOW IS A DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOS IN THE PICTURE SECTION OF THIS LISTING. Create listings that get noticed!
With Auctiva's 1,800+ Templates. The item "NR MINT RARE SUPERB 1950 MICHIGAN ONTARIO HOLLOW TEAL Wood Decoy ST CLAIR FLAT" is in sale since Friday, October 07, 2016. This item is in the category "Sporting Goods\Hunting\Vintage Hunting\Duck Decoys". The seller is "gjoldan" and is located in Romeo, Michigan. This item can be shipped worldwide.