Lloyd Tyler The Tyler Hooded Merganser

Lloyd Tyler (1898-1970) Crisfield, MD, c. 1930 16 in. long

Lloyd Tyler was born and raised in Crisfield, Maryland, and lived across the street from the Ward Brothers. He was nearly the same age as the Wards, yet is credited with beginning his carving career eight years prior to them. With Crisfield's three greatest carvers living virtually on top of each other, there was clearly a drive of creative energy shared between them. That said, Tyler and the Wards each took the regional archetype in their own direction.

In the mid-1980s Henry Stansbury was the leading collector of Lloyd Tyler’s works. It was at this time that this singular hooded merganser made its first impression on Stansbury and the decoy and folk art collecting communities. Stansbury recounts, “In the fall of 1986, Richard Bourne had a superb Tyler hooded merganser for sale in his auction. It was the first Tyler decoy I had seen that threatened to break the ‘world record’ price I paid for my preening pintail...” After losing out to multiple competing bidders, he acknowledges, “My Tylers would never be treated the same again.” Indeed, less than a decade later Stansbury published his first book, “Lloyd J. Tyler, Folk Artist, Decoy Maker,” which features and discusses this carving. History repeated itself on a larger scale in 2007 when the decoy next surfaced, setting a record at auction not only for Tyler, but for any Maryland decoy.

Collectors have long recognized that this decoy captures the charming nature of the species with a high and slightly turned head topped by a thin crest. The body’s form and paint show seemingly effortless sweeping lines with detailed plumage and a long thin tail. This decoy represents one of the great examples of Southern Americana and folk art. The underside retains its Bourne auction tag, a Huster collection ink stamp, and the imprint of the Hunter collection tag. Excellent original paint with light gunning wear.

Provenance: H. Harrison Huster Collection Charlie Hunter Collection Private Collection

Literature: Henry H. Stansbury, "Lloyd Tyler: Folk Artist, Decoy Maker," Lewes, DE, 1955, p. 21, exact carving illustrated. Richard A. Bourne, Inc., “Rare American Decoys and Bird Carvings,” Hyannis, MA, July 1986, lot 781, exact decoy illustrated. Joe Engers, ed., "Year in Review 2007," 2007, front cover, exact decoy illustrated.

Provenance

H. Harrison Huster Collection Charlie Hunter Collection Private Collection