Ira Hudson Broadbill Pair

Ira D. Hudson (1873-1949) Chincoteague, VA, c. 1930 An exceptional matched pair of gunning birds carved in a very natural swimming or foraging posture. These decoys display tack eyes which are surrounded by pronounced brows and classic Hudson-painted feathering on two-piece, vertically laminated, flat-bottomed bodies, which are branded "P" for the Purnell collection on the underside. The carvings also feature Hudson's fluted tails and sharp ice-groove carving. Original paint with even gunning wear and minor body seam shrinkage.

Provenance: William H. Purnell, Jr. Collection Private Collection

Literature: Robert H. Richardson ed., "Chesapeake Bay Decoys," Burtonsville, MD, 1991, p. 223, rigmate decoys illustrated. Henry A. Fleckenstein, Jr., "Southern Decoys of Virginia and the Carolinas," Exton, PA, 1983, p. 64, plate 61, similar decoys illustrated. Henry H. Stansbury, "Ira D. Hudson and Family," Lewes, DE, 2002, p. 68, rigmate decoys illustrated.

Provenance

William H. Purnell, Jr. Collection Private Collection