Harry V. Shourds Red Knot

Harry V. Shourds (1861-1920) Tuckerton, NJ, c. 1890 9 in. long

Red knot carvings by this maker are rare with the majority of Shourds decoys fashioned as plovers and yellowlegs. Original paint with gunning wear including a paint rub to tail.

Provenance: Donal C. O'Brien, Jr. Collection

Literature: Peter Johnson and Alf Wannenburgh, “The World of Shooting,” Lausanne, Switzerland, 1987, pp. 259-261, exact decoy illustrated. Jackson Parker, “O’Brien Classic Decoys on Display at Museum of American Folk Art,” North American Decoys, Spanish Fork, UT, Spring/Summer 1982, p. 30, exact decoy illustrated. Jeff Waingrow, “The American Decoy: Folk Sculpture from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Donal C. O’Brien, Jr.,” The Clarion: America’s Folk Art Magazine, Fall 1981, p. 31, exact decoy illustrated.

Exhibited: New York, New York, “The Art of the American Decoy: Folk Sculpture from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Donal C. O’Brien Jr.,” Museum of American Folk Art, September 3–November 8, 1981.

Provenance

Donal C. O'Brien, Jr. Collection