Henry Osbourne Black Bellied Plover

Henry Osbourne attr. Bellmore, NY c.1890 11.5" long | 3.75" wide

Plump wide bodied plover with deeply carved eyes and relief carved wings that come to an above the tail. Line loop hole drilled through the center tail, a clever adaptation that would allow the hunter to loop the birds all together and both keep them in one place in the skiff or tied off to a hip to free up hands. The shorebird is one of three known, supposedly found washed ashore after a 1904 coastal storm and has '1904' deeply carved into the underside.

Condition: Entirely original protected by a thin layer of varnish that has mellowed. Heavily hit by shot with moderate paint flaking exposing the white lead primer. Tight split in breast