Rare Mallard Drake
Joe Marr (1879-1954)
Heron Lake, MN, c. 1890
13 in. long

Referred to as "The Chesapeake of the West," Heron Lake was a waterfowling mecca when Marr was carving at the close of the 1800s. This exceptional drake was featured in the Center for American Decoy's 2019 exhibition, "American Decoy: The Invention," and the accompanying book with the same title. This exhibit was among the finest ever assembled, drawing pinnacle works from around the country, including The Harmon Crowell plover trio, the Masterworks of the Illinois River collection, and the Shelburne Museum's Barber Dudley ruddy duck.

Marr decoys of any species are rare with most of his carvings being canvasbacks. Describing canvasbacks in the aforementioned exhibit, author Joseph Tonelli writes they are a "masterpiece of functional folk art created by local market hunters for their own use. Its broad pancake-shaped body and strikingly high head are counterbalanced by a large wooden keel, allowing the decoy to ride smoothly across the lake."

The bottom retains its original keel with a poured-lead weight. The head is attached by a screw in the bottom of the neck that pairs with a mounting plate in the body. The threading of this removable head is slightly loose. Rigging line is still attached.

The form, paint, condition, rarity, and exhibition history of this wild drake place it at the epicenter of great Midwest folk art.
Original paint with appealing craquelure and gunning wear, including rubs to edges of body, right edge has imperfection to wood reinforced when the bird was made.

Provenance: Private Museum Collection, New Mexico, acquired c. 1970s
Private Collection, Illinois, acquired from the above, c. 2008

Literature: Zac Zetterberg, ed., “American Decoy: The Invention,” Peoria, IL, 2020, p. 97, exact decoy illustrated.

Exhibited: Peoria, Illinois, “American Decoy: The Invention,” Peoria Riverfront Museum, February 9–April 28, 2019.