William Henry Bennett Curlew

William Henry Bennett (1867-1954) East Hampton, Long Island 15" long

Sometimes referred to as "Uncle Henry", William carved under influences from local Shinnecock Reservation working and decorative decoy maker, Eugene "Chief" Cuffee (1861-1941). Williams work took on a more folk approach with often dramatic carved details, like these dropped wings, and very colorful paint with folkier patterns as seen in the metallic gold paint on the wings.

The shorebird is crafted from three pieces, the body, an applied head, and an inserted bill, of which is an early replacement on this example. The paint with the sky blue and metallic gold accents is still vibrant. Due to their design, they were phenomenal mantle pieces and as such some got a bit warm. It appears the bottom edges of the dropped wings experienced a bit of alligatoring to the wood and surface due to high heat exposure. The decoy is broad bodied and large.

Condition: Very good and original except for the early bill replacement. Some paint loss to the top of the head and minimal paint loss and chipping to the dropped wings.