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Welcome to Decoy-Dux, specializing in quality representative antique, vintage and contemporary duck, goose and shorebird decoys and carvings, as well as miniatures, books, paintings and other related collectibles.
D0744, William Jaggard English Wood Pigeon Decoy
English wood pigeons have garnered the well-deserved attention of American collectors. Similar in time frame to North American waterfowl and shorebird decoys, they have been used in the United Kingdom since the latter half of the 1800s with examples ranging from the deeply carved examples sold by Trulock and Harriss and R. W. Ward to the more stylized slick-bodied examples of Robert Lange and William Jaggard. This excellent decoy was carved by William Jaggard of Elveden, Suffolk, United Kingdom, circa 2nd quarter, 20th century. Lightly used with a pleasing patina, this stylish pigeon is just under 14" in length, 3.75" in width and 3" in depth at the breast. It has relief carved shoulders and wings, a cast metal bill and glass eyes. The full-bodied carving is in original paint depicting the species' fall plumage. Jaggard, who carved from roughly 1930 through the mid-1950s, continued the carving business of his father-in-law, James Rolph. Stand included. SOLD
M293, Exceptional Miniature Black Duck Decoy
Exceptionally well-executed miniature black duck, circa mid-20th century, carved at approximately one-third to one-half scale. It measures 8" in length and stands 3 3/4" high at the head. Although the carver is unknown, it is quite reminiscent of the miniatures made by the late Dr. George Ross Starr of Duxbury, Massachusetts, and sold in the Richard Bourne auction of his collection in 1986. The sculpted body displays carved wings with raised and separated wing tips, carved primaries and a fluted tail. The head is turned approximately 30 degrees to the left with glass eyes. The bill is quite detailed with carved separation from the head, nostrils and a raised nail. The original paint is beautifully detailed with overall scratch-feather paint on the body and finely applied feather paint on the head. There is a small amount of filler in the center of the lower breast, roughly the size of a quarter and about 3/16" deep. This filler was applied in-the-making, probably to remedy an overcut of the breast, and does not detract from the carving in the slightest. SOLD
D0741: Harry Pember Calling Black Duck Decoy
Outstanding calling black duck decoy by Harry Pember of Milford, Connecticut, circa 3rd quarter of the 20th century. Harry hunted with old friends, including Tom Marshall, the Disbrow brothers and Keith Mueller, using decoys he carved for his own use, including this fine working bird. Made from 3 layers of dense cork with an inset wooden tail, the decoy remains in excellent original condition with only a couple of very small nicks to the paint. It has very extremely detailed bill and mouth carving, glass eyes and scratch-feather paint on the head, which is turned about 10 degrees to the left. The bird measures roughly 20" in length, 8" in height, including the keel, and is 8" wide.
Price: $525.00
M286: Runar Rodell Canada Goose Diorama, Circa 1930s
Diorama of two Canada geese in a salt marsh setting by Runar G. Rodell, Wilmette, Illinois, circa 1930s. Rodell, born in Sweden in 1898, moved to the U.S. in his thirties, opening a studio around 1935 in Wilmette before finally settling in Prescott, AZ, around 1950. He died in 1983. His works usually incorporate oil-painted backgrounds and figures (people, animals, birds, buildings, etc.) carved from basswood with plant materials created from bits of natural vegetation in the foreground. Among his collectors were Bob Hope and Ronald Reagan. It is believed that all of his work made in Prescott had a paper studio label on the back, whereas his work from Illinois was simply signed on the back. This piece is in original condition with the roughly 2-1/2" geese exhibiting detailed painted plumage. Geese were a relatively rare subject matter for Rodell. It is signed "Original by R. Rodell, Canada Goose" on the back. The overall dimensions of the diorama are 12 3/4" x 15" with the glass measuring roughly 7 5/8" x 9 5/8". The oak case is 3 1/2" deep. The dark area at the top of the first two photos is the curved top surface of the diorama which is in shadow. SOLD
D0740: Dan English Black Duck Decoy
Outstanding classic Delaware River black duck decoy with impeccable provenance by Dan English (1883-1962) of Florence, New Jersey. Dan was the son of John English and brother of Jack English, both carvers of fine Delaware River style decoys. This decoy is one of a rig made for Clarence Winter of Bristol, Pennsylvania, and referred to by collector's as "Winter's Famous Fifty". The hollow-bodied bird, in excellent original feather paint, has glass eyes, a low or contented head position, outlined feathers, raised primaries and a notched tail. There is a slight chip on the left edge of the bill and some small paint rubs on the crown of head, the point of the raised primaries and the edge of the notched tail. The carving measures 15" in length, 5.5' in width and is 6" high at the head. The lead weight on the bottom is attached with twelve brass escutcheon pins. "C. Winter" is stamped twice into the weight and once into the bottom of decoy. Winter's stencil, reading "C. W. Winter, Bristol, PA" is visible on the bottom. It also has the collection stamp of Bob White, noted carver, collector and decoy historian, on the bottom. In the last photo, in addition to the Bob White collection stamp, you can best see the white Winter stencil. See "Floating Sculpture", Huster and Knight, for documentation and photos of Dan and Winter's rig. SOLD
N007: Vintage Bluebill Decoy Patterns, Rochester, New York, Circa 1960s
Group of bluebill decoy patterns, heads and castings consisting of twelve pieces. The cast metal heads are quite detailed, even showing rasping for texture, immediately bringing to mind the work of Ken Anger of Dunnville, Ontario. Included are 5 hardboard body section patterns for a laminated full-sized body, a head pattern for that body, a carved wood head made from that pattern (2 halves glued together), a carved wood half-head from that pattern, two cast metal half-heads (one has a Plaster of Paris bill makeover) and two hardboard routed patterns of the same head. These are part of a larger group by an unknown maker that I purchased a number of years ago from an estate in Rochester. Several of the patterns, not included in this listing, were made from a 1968 calender from Brace-Mueller-Huntley, Inc., of Rochester, Syracuse and Albany, New York. The calendar indicates that the industrial company worked with aluminum, brass and plastic, although in what capacity I have not been able to determine. I surmise that the maker of these patterns very possibly worked for B-M-H in some capacity, perhaps as a pattern-maker. The complete 125-pieces group includes miniature, half-scale and full-scale patterns of over a dozen species of waterfowl and shorebirds as well as a number of both carved and cast (Plaster of Paris and metal) heads. Although the maker is currently unknown, the number and quality of the pieces surely point to a highly skilled craftsman with a relatively high volume of work. He appears to have made both decorative carvings and working decoys and may have made half or full-bodied figures or plaques, cast or molded from plastic or metal. These patterns are a piece of history that deserve preservation and recognition.
Price: $120.00
D0742/D0743: Pair of Milwaukee Museum School Mallard Decoys
Excellent pair of oversized Wisconsin mallard decoys made by a Lake Michigan charter boat captain named Gordon Caskowski of Milwaukee, circa 1940. Caskowski's decoys were used at Wind Point, Racine, Wisconsin. These folky decoys were the product of the Milwaukee Museum Carvers era and bear a strong resemblance to the birds attributed by the decoy auction houses to Warren Dettman. The two were formerly in the collection of Russ Van Houzen and still retain his collection tags on the bottoms. According to the information on the hen's tag, Van Houzen added them to his collection in 1968. The deep-bodied glass-eyed decoys have 4-piece laminated bodies with carved raised wings and detailed bill carving. The drake's head is turned slightly to the left. Each has been lightly hit by shot, and the hen has had a professional repair to a crack in the neck. There are also small chips missing from both of the hen's wingtips. They remain in bold original paint with only minor wear. The highly detailed feather paint on the hen is especially noteworthy and well executed. Each decoys measure approximately 16” long, 8-1/2” wide and 9-1/2” tall. SOLD
D0738: Doug Jester Black Duck Decoy
Nice fat-bodied black duck by Doug Jester of Chincoteague, Virginia, circa 1925. The decoy is in worn original paint with flaking (this condition is not unusual for Jester's decoys as they were apparently not primed before painting) and wear, particularly to the back and upper left side. The scratch feather paint remains strong on the head and remains visible on portions of the body. There are several age cracks with the largest being on the lower right side. The decoy measures roughly 14 1/2" in length. SOLD
