Harry V. Shourds The O'brien Shourds Red Knot

Harry V. Shourds (1861-1920) Tuckerton, NJ, c. 1890 9 in. long

Red knot carvings by this maker are rare and highly coveted, with the majority of Shourds decoys fashioned as plovers and yellowlegs. The underside retains the stamp that denotes the Donal C. O'Brien Jr. Collection. Original paint with gunning wear, including a paint rub to tail.

Provenance: Donal C. O'Brien Jr. Collection Private Collection, Florida

Literature: Peter Johnson and Alf Wannenburgh, “The World of Shooting,” Lausanne, Switzerland, 1987, pp. 259-261, exact decoy illustrated. Jackson Parker, “O’Brien Classic Decoys on Display at Museum of American Folk Art,” North American Decoys, Spanish Fork, UT, Spring/Summer 1982, p. 30, exact decoy illustrated. Jeff Waingrow, “The American Decoy: Folk Sculpture from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Donal C. O’Brien, Jr.,” The Clarion: America’s Folk Art Magazine, Fall 1981, p. 31, exact decoy illustrated. Copley Fine Art Auctions, "The Donal C. O'Brien, Jr. Collection of Important American Sporting Art and Decoys, Sessions I-II," Hingham, MA, 2017, front inside boards of hard-cover edition, pp. 138-143, lots 68-75, exact decoy in O'Brien Shourds rig illustrated. Exhibited: New York, New York, “The Art of the American Decoy: Folk Sculpture from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Donal C. O’Brien Jr.,” Museum of American Folk Art, September 3–November 8, 1981.

Provenance

Donal C. O'Brien Jr. Collection Private Collection, Florida