Capping off seven consecutive days of decoy-filled sales, the attention of collectors shifted north for the second time in the course of a week as the New England series of decoy auctions headed for Maine. The auction began on July 17 with a preview and continued throughout the following two days as Guyette & Schmidt conducted its annual summer auction of rare waterfowl decoys. More than 500 decoys were offered in the auction, with solid prices recorded throughout the weekend.
“There has been a tremendous amount of interest,” commented Gary Guyette prior to the sale. “It was like this a couple of years ago,” he said. “We have a huge number of absentee, telephone and Internet bidders registered and they all seem to be very serious.”
The sale featured numerous collections, including some items that listed a provenance of the late Joe French, whose collection of decoys and shorebirds will be sold by Guyette & Schmidt in April. Also included were birds from the collections of David Galliher, Joseph Hall, the estate of Barbara McFalls, Ed and Jane German and Ginny and Charles Harvey.
The event got off to a brisk start with the opening of the associated Decoy Show that takes place in the adjoining rooms off of the auction hall. Dealers were in place on Friday morning and trading began soon afterward. While many of the dealers had displayed previously at the two prior auctions, a local crowd of Maine collectors added to the excitement.
The auction got underway on Saturday morning with a large crowd in attendance; the first lot to cross the block was a hollow-carved blue-wing teal hen by George Warin, Toronto. Auctioneer James Julia looked for interest at the low estimate of $4,000, but settled for an opening of $2,000. Action came from several in the crowd, but was short-lived with it hammering down at $2,875.
A pair of Ken Anger, Dunnville, Ontario, canvasback decoys in good original condition was offered next, and they became the first of the lots to exceeded estimate, selling at $4,600. The following lot also saw a spurt of activity with a pair of Anger redheads topping the $4,000 estimate at $5,175.
It did not take long for the first bird of exceptional quality to cross the block as a George Warin Canada goose was offered. The rare turned head decoy featured “strong original feather paint” on the desirable hollow-carved form. According to the catalog, “a number of these vintage goose decoys by Warin were found that had had their necks extended by several inches a long time ago, this appears to have been one that was cut, but never had the extension put in it.” The decoy was sold with photos of the professional repair.
Estimated at $13/16,000, the decoy opened for bidding at $9,000, with a client seated in the front of the gallery jumping into the action. Several in the room hit the lot along the way, along with a couple of telephone bidders. In the end, however, the bidder in the front of the room claimed the lot for $24,150.
Other Maritime Canada birds included a redhead drake and hen from the Markham rig, circa 1890, Markham, Ontario, that exceeded estimates. Rigmates to decoys sold in Guyette & Schmidt’s sale this past April, the handsome hollow-carved drake brought $15,525, and the hen hammered down at $14,662.
The top lot of the auction came as a hollow-carved snow goose by Minnesota carver John Tax was offered. The rare stick-up decoy, made for use in fields, was of typical laminated construction, and the decoy retained an old working paint, probably a second coat put on the bird by Tax.
Estimated at $27,5/30,000, the Tax snow goose decoy was the subject of spirited bidding, selling at $55,200.
A John Blair Jr hollow-carved pintail drake was another item to strike the fancy of collectors. Retaining the original strongly blended and feather decorated dry paint with a mellow patina and crazed head, the decoy was a prime example of American folk art.
Provenance for the pintail listed the decoy as having been obtained directly from Blair’s family in the 1980s and the decoy had been featured in the reference book Floating Sculpture by Harrison Huster and Douglas Knight. The rare tack-eye decoy sold at $54,625.
Maine decoys did exceptionally well, as might have been expected, although it did not hurt that the selection of decoys, especially eiders, was first rate. A “finely sculpted” eider drake by an unknown maker from Deer Isle was the decoy that was attracting the most attention. With great folk art appeal, the bird had been carved with a rocking horse-style appearance, apparently made to rock and roll over the waves.
With an inlet head in great traditional Maine form, the decoy was in an appealing old repaint. The decoy had been featured in The Art of the Decoy: American Bird Carvings by Adele Earnest and carried a presale estimate of $17,5/22,500. Julia looked for an opening bid of $20,000 and finally got the bird into bidding by taking a $5,000 bid from someone in the rear of the room.
Several collectors took a shot at the bird as it crossed the auction block, surpassing estimate on its way to a selling price of $46,575.
A rare preening black duck by South Portland carver Gus Wilson was another of the Maine birds to exhibit good folky qualities. Featured in John and Shirley Delph’s book New England Decoys , the rare bird hammered just below estimate at $28,750. A large and “sculpturesque” eider drake from the Monhegan area of the Maine coast handily surpassed the $7/9,000 estimates as it went out at $21,850. A rare merganser hen by Maine maker Leigh Witherspoon with a clam in its bill also did well, topping estimates at $14,950.
Several shorebirds brought good prices, with examples by Elmer Crowell and William Bowman leading the way. The Crowell yellowlegs in fine original paint listed a provenance of Joe French and sold for $29,900. A greater yellowlegs by Bowman with extended wing tips, shoe button eyes and good original paint was also the subject of attention, selling at $28,750.
A Mason knot shorebird painted in full fall plumage sold above estimates at $16,675, as did a Mason wood duck drake retaining the original paint.
Michigan and Illinois decoys did well with a strong contingent of collectors participating in the sale. Leading the way was a Charles Perdew mallard drake with superb original paint that listed a provenance of the Joe Tonelli collection, among others. Selling just below estimate, the decoy realized $23,000.
A rare pair of bluebill decoys by Detroit carver Ferdinand Bach was cataloged as having been “put away when new and never used” and provenance listed the pair as “from the Bach family.” Discussed in Gene and Linda Kangas’ book Decoys: A North American Survey , the pair of bluebills went out at $20,125. A canvasback drake by Detroit area maker John Schweikart also attracted a great deal of interest, bringing $16,100.
Two Connecticut decoys fared well, with a rare and early Cassius Smith, Milford, preening redhead drake leading the way at $16,100, while a hollow-carved pintail drake by Shang Wheeler left the block at $15,525.
Other decoys and carvings of interest included a brant from Hog Island, Va., carved by Eli Doughty that sold at $20,700, an Ira Hudson full-sized flying mallard in excellent original paint for $16,100, a full-sized carving of a great horned owl thought to have been made in Illinois, $14,950, and what was cataloged as the “earliest-known carved salmon fish model” by Edward Thatcher that hammered down at $14,950.
Two announcements of interest that were made at this recent sale included the relocation of the summer auction for 2010, retreating once again from Maine to Portsmouth, N.H., and the retirement of Frank Schmidt within the next two years, marked by the sale of his portion of the company to John Deeter.
For information, 207-625-8055, 410-745-0485 or www.guyetteandschmidt.com .
