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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.
D0763: English Wood Pigeon Decoy by Harry Earnest Boddy
Solid-bodied English wood pigeon decoy with screw eyes set in separate grommets to simulate eye rings by Harry Earnest Boddy of St. Kilda, Chatham, Kent, United Kingdom, circa 1930s. A full-bodied decoy with relief-carved wings showing moderate flaking and wear, the pigeon is in original paint except for the white areas which have old in-use touch up and the bill which appears to be a well-crafted replacement. I have seen some pigeon decoys by Boddy that were half-bodied with cast metal bills and hollowed from below with an inset metal plate and spike marked "Pat. 431190" (Issued to Boddy in 1934) for setting the decoy in the ground. This decoy measures 14" in length and 4" in width, the same size as the half-bodied models. The relatively large number of these decoys made in several styles that I have encountered leads me to believe they were sold commercially and in quantity. As seen in the last photo, this one is marked "18/6" in pencil on the bottom which I believe indicated a sales price of 18 shillings, 6 pence. Stand not included. SOLD
M323: Richard & Marion Harris Vintage Miniature Pheasant Pair
Pair of miniature ring-neck pheasants with painted eyes by Richard and Marion Harris, Old Saybrook, Connecticut, circa 2nd quarter, 20th century. Each bird measures slightly over 8" in length. Including the 13" long base, the piece is about 6-1/4" high. Both pheasants display detailed feather paint with the hen showing somewhat more fading and wear than the cock. There are relief-carved side feathers on each where the tails meet the bodies. They are mounted to the base by means of wire legs and have feet painted onto the base where mounted. The drake has what appears to be an in-the-making splice near the middle of the tail. Richard and Marion worked for Ted Mullican at Wildfowler from the mid-1940s until the late-1950s when they started their own company, Harris Wild Duck Decoys. They continued in business through the 1970s with Richard doing the carving and Marion the painting. SOLD
M321: Antique Relief-Carved Moose Head
What is it? Antique relief-carved moose head with high quality glass eyes, circa early 1900's. It stands 3-1/2" high and is 1-7/8" in diameter. A 7/8" diameter hole is drilled down through the top to a depth of of about 2" while another hole slightly over 1/4" in diameter is drilled horizontally with a slight downward slope into the back of the cylinder below the depth of the larger chamber. The two drillings are linked vertically by a third hole about 1/8" in diameter. The first thing that comes to mind is that the carving was intended as the bowl of a large pipe. It shows a "polish" from being handled as one might expect from a well-used favorite pipe; however, the larger chamber which might have held the tobacco shows no charring or other sign of having been used as such. Perhaps it was used as a match holder or toothpick holder. Whatever it was intended to be, it is a well crafted and item, obviously cherished by its owner. There are three raised areas on the carving that each have what appear to be single initials relief carved on the surfaces. Although worn from handling and difficult to read, the two on the side might be an"L" and a "T" while the one on the back might be a "T". Perhaps it was made for "LT" by "T". There is an age split on one side, running from the top about half way down the cylinder. SOLD
M322: E. B. Worthley Miniature Hissing Canada Goose
Superb miniature hissing or feeding Canada goose carved by E. B. Worthley, Bayshore, Long Island, New York, circa 3rd quarter, 20th century. The goose measures just over 6" in length from the tail to the tip of the bill and stands 3" tall, including the oak base. It is branded "Worthley" and "E. B. Worthley" on the base. The form is excellent, faithfully recreating the musculature and form of the live bird, from the extended neck to the extended tail and raised wing tips. Tiny glass eyes and finely detailed bill carving complete the sculpture. The original feather paint was accomplished with great skill and attention to detail, resulting in a most lifelike carving. As seen in the last photo, there is a small chip missing from the lower wing tip and a fine crack in the gesso of the right thigh. SOLD
D0762: Jake Ferreira Pintail Drake
Excellent solid-bodied pintail drake with tack eyes by Joseph A. "Jake" Ferreira (1904-1981) of Newark, California, circa 1935. Jake was known as one of the area's most stylish and inventive decoy carvers, making nearly one thousand most remarkable pintail decoys to be used by hunting clubs in San Francisco's South Bay in the 1930's and 1940's. Nothing similar to his decoys is to be found elsewhere in the West. Although Ferreira used patterns, each decoy is slightly different from the others, yet they shared the characteristics of raised wingtips in a Delaware River style, thin necks and simple but effective paint patterns. This decoy, measuring 19" in length and a full 9" in height at the head, displays especially fine form with a streamlined body and an elegant high neck. The paint is all original except for a small area of touch up at a well-executed professional repair to a crack in the neck. The high quality brownish-green paint on the body of the decoy was "borrowed" by Jake while working at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. There is light chipping to the wing tips and tail tip with paint loss to those areas as well as some paint loss to small spots on one side of the tail, the crown of the head and the tip of the bill. There is also a tight and very slight age split in the back of the decoy. See pgs. 220 - 222, Wildfowl Decoys of the Pacific Coast, Miller and Hanson. SOLD
D0760: Harry Turvey Wood Pigeon Decoy, Circa 1922
Excellent solid-bodied English wood pigeon decoy with cast aluminum alloy head and glass eyes by Harry William Turvey (1876-Unk.), Holloway, Belper, United Kingdom, circa 1922. A copper tag attached to the bottom of the decoy references British Patent No. 193738 which was issued to Turvey on April 13, 1922. The patent is not for the pigeon itself, but for the mounting system which allowed the pigeon to move by means of springs and wires in conjunction with the attached mounting plate. The cast aluminum alloy head is quite rare, but apparently not covered by the patent. It is attached to the body by what appears to be a nail driven into the body through a hole cast into the head. The wooden body is extremely well-carved with flowing lines, a fluted tail, carved wing outlines and finely carved primaries similar to what Elmer Crowell did with his better early shorebirds. The paint is all original and nicely aged with a pleasing patina. The decoy measures just over 15" in length. Several of these decoys have been found with "Dreadnaught" stamped into the bottom. One in particular was stamped in that manner along with the patent number, leading me to believe that was the name given these decoys by Turley. See my other website, www.woodpigeondecoys.com, dedicated to the identification and documentation of these decoys and their carvers for additional information. SOLD
M310: Warfield Bobwhite Hen and Chicks
Outstanding bobwhite hen with three chicks by the nationally-recognized husband-wife carving team of Robert and Virginia Warfield, Jaffrey, New Hampshire, 1970. The Warfields began carving in 1965 and devoted the next twenty-five years until Robert's death in 1990 to studying birds in their natural habitats in order to perfect their carvings and make them life–like. Robert carved the birds from basswood while Virginia woodburned and painted them with oils. The fact that the Warfields made over 7,000 birds during their careers attests to the popularity of their work. Overall, this carving is approximately 17" long and 6-1/2" high. The hen measures 7-1/2" from bill to tail while each chick is about 2-1/4" long. The hen is extremely well detailed with carved primaries and tertiaries and a fluted tail. The legs are very realistic and were formed using a process developed by the Warfields. All four birds have taxidermy glass eyes and are in near-mint original feather paint. The Warfields' work is featured in both the Winter 1974 and the Fall/Winter 1981 issues of North American Decoys. SOLD
D0758: Rare Mason Premier-Pattern Blue-Winged Teal Decoy, Wm E. Pratt Mfg. Co.
Exceptional glass-eyed Model No. 4 blue-winged teal hen by the William E. Pratt Manufacturing Company of Joliet and Chicago, Illinois, circa mid-1920s. In 1923, Pratt purchased the Mason Decoy Company's assets. This decoy is patterned after Mason's Premier model. It has never been rigged and is in outstanding original condition with some crazing and a fine patina. It is lightweight, probably made from balsa. In one product catalog, the company described the Model No. 4 decoys as being "made from airwood which is a South American cane lighter than cork, does not crack, is strong, durable and takes paint well. These decoys, while expensive, are the very best decoys we make". Unfortunately for collectors, the decoys were not as durable as envisioned.. Ken Trayer, author of "North American Factory Decoys", told me, "These were one of their more expensive decoys and rare due to balsa not resisting any rough handling. Thus, few of this model survived. This decoy could not have been used at all or was owned by someone who took care of their possessions. Be happy, this is a rare survivor. I am not remembering seeing another and certainly not in this condition". I've searched numerous books and decoy auction catalogs and have yet to find a similar example of this rare factory decoy. It measures 13 1/2" in length and stands 6" high at the head. Be the first (and perhaps only) kid in your neighborhood to own one!! SOLD
