Mackey Red Knot
Cape May, NJ, c. 1860
10 in. long

This bold running decoy displays a hard chine, a chip-carved breast, and an underside with provenance markings. There is a Joe French Collection white label and the inked notion "#178," denoting the bird's place in the Shiller Martin Collection at one time.

The red knot flies over 3,500 miles from Brazil to feed on the shores of the Delaware Bay as part of a 9,000-mile journey from Tierra del Fuego to the Arctic. This decoy resembles a plump red knot after fueling up on its favorite food, horseshoe crab eggs.
Mostly original paint with heavy gunning wear, working black overpaint to breast, and a possibly replaced bill.

Provenance: William J. Mackey Jr. Collection
Donal C. O'Brien Jr. Collection
Joe French Collection
Shiller Martin Collection
Private Collection, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Private Collection

Literature: Copley Fine Art Auctions, "The Donal C. O'Brien Jr. Collection of Important American Sporting Art and Decoys, Sessions III," Plymouth, MA, July 19, 2018, lot 101, rigmate illustrated.William J. Mackey Jr., "American Bird Decoys," New York, NY, 1965, p. 135, pl. 114, rigmate illustrated.

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