Clark Madera Black Duck

Clark C. Madara (1883-1953) Pitman, NJ, c. 1910 17 in. long

An excellent black duck by the maker with exaggerated features, including a humped back, pinched breast, very thin neck, and deep eye-groove carving. The large hollow body is finished with flocked paint, which was popular among Jersey hunters for its flat finish.

Joel Barber was so taken by this form that he reproduced the head numerous times, including in an instant-classic bronze series. Of his bronze facsimile, he writes:

“My jackknife copy of this head reproduced in bronze was sold by art galleries over a period of several years and in considerable numbers. I have always considered the unknown original maker a real artist. Even though he lived and worked, unknown on the Jersey barrens, his Black Duck head has been perpetuated. The feather of accomplishment does not belong to me. I merely whittled what he conceived. After a fashion, however, it vindicates my interest in the art of decoy making. The decoy itself is now a highly prized item of my collection. After my coveting it for several years, the former owner, Mr. J. H. Phillips of Babylon, gave it to me for my records of Barnegat Bay.” In old Madara paint with gunning wear, including flaking mostly to end grain on back of head and on breast.

Provenance: The Johnson Collection

Literature: Joel Barber, "Wild Fowl Decoys," Garden City, NY, 1937, p. 131, pl. 99, related example illustrated. James R. Doherty, "Classic New Jersey Decoys," Louisville, KY, 2011, p. 163, related example in Lem Ward paint illustrated.

Provenance

The Johnson Collection