North America, United States, Maryland (Chesapeake Bay) and Michigan (St. Clair Flats), ca. 1900 to 1920 CE. A pair of hand-carved and hand-built wooden hunting decoys depicting 2 identifiable species of waterfowl. The first duck is a Chesapeake Bay redhead (Aythya americana), so called due to its auburn-hued cranium, and features a gray beak, black and white feathers, and a thick, upturned tail. The second duck is a lesser scaup (Aythya affinis), also known as a bluebill, with a dark brown body, a blue-gray beak, and a lead sinker weight hinged along the underside of its belly; this weight kept the decoy afloat when deployed in shallow waters. Size of largest (redhead): 13" L x 6.2" W x 7.1" H (33 cm x 15.7 cm x 18 cm)

Provenance: ex-private Bishop Family Trust collection, the Trust of the late Bill Bishop, a noted antiquarian with shops in Scottsdale, Arizona and Allenspark, Colorado, USA, acquired before 2010

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#173494

Head of redhead duck possibly reattached, and loss to lead weight beneath body. Abrasions, a couple of stable hairline fissures, small nicks, and touch-up painting in a few areas. "Upper Chesapeake Bay Redhead - Maryland circa 1900" handwritten beneath belly along with large, illegible signature. Bluebill has nicks, abrasions, a couple of stable hairline fissures, light fading to pigment, and loss to small leather strap beneath body. Lead weight still hinges smoothly. Old inventory label beneath body suggests this duck was accompanied by a second, similar duck, however the accompanying bluebill decoy was not provided by the previous owner.