Finest Decoys On Offer at Copley Fine Art Auctions, July 22 and 23 Copley Fine Art Auctions will offer over 400 lots of the finest quality antique decoys on July 23 in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Go to www.copleyart.com for more information.
The sale showcases several single owner collections, including the Bernie Galipeau Collection of decoys, which has select examples by noted Michigan carver Benjamin Schmidt (1884-1968) along with carvings by Joseph Lincoln and the Mason Decoy Factory. Representing some of the finest folk art decoys is the Peter Brams Collection, which includes numerous master works such as an over-sized mallard drake from the Susquehanna River, c. 1900, ($20/40,000), a preening black duck from Long Island, c. 1875 ($30/60,000), an Ira Hudson hissing Canada goose, c. 1910 ($20/40,000), a preening raised wing black duck by Augustus Aaron Wilson (1864-1950), South Portland, ME, c. 1895 ($100/200,000), and a Maine eider attributed to Wilmer L. Ames (b. 1853) from Matinicus Isle, ME, c. 1880 ($30/60,000).
The magnificent array offered at Copley’s decoy sale is rounded out by a fine selection of miniature carvings by A.E. Crowell, George Boyd, Wendell Gilley, Brig. Gen. Chester Braddock de Gavre, and Horace Crandall. Several notable fish carvings by famous makers include a rare leaping brook trout by A.E. Crowell (1862-1952), East Harwich, MA, c. 1928 ($4/6,000), a brook trout by Alexander Pope (1849-1924), Boston, MA, c. 1905 ($2/4,000), and a large male Atlantic salmon carving by John Tully (1862-1931), and Dhuie Tully (1862-1950), ($5/10,000). Other items of note include a Pennsylvania powder horn c. 1860, a moose-motif hooked rug, c. 1930, and approximately a dozen flyrods by makers such as H.L. Leonard, F.E. Thomas, and Orvis.
The two day auction will be held on July 22nd and 23rd in Plymouth, Massachusetts. It will feature over 800 lots, with paintings and prints on offer the first day and decoys following on the second day. In addition to the sale there will be a cocktail reception and a dealer exhibition. Contact Copley Fine Art Auctions at 617.536.0030 or www.copleyart.com for more information.
