Verity Family Black Bellied Plover

Obediah Verity (1813-1901) Seaford, Long Island, NY, c. 1880 10 3/4 in. long

A plump plover with distinct beetle-head carving. It is difficult to find Verity plover decoys that do not have repainted breasts, as these rigs of decoys were typically hunted heavily. Original paint with gunning wear, areas of touch-up to head and left wing, and a replaced bill.

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

Literature: Timothy R. Sieger, "The Decoys of Long Island," Water Mill, NY, 2010, p. 31, similar decoy illustrated. E. Jane Townsend, "Gunners Paradise; Wildfowling and Decoys on Long Island," Stony Brook, NY, 1979, p. 33 and pp. 115-117, fig. 188-194, similar decoys illustrated. \Laurence Sheehan, "The Birding Life," New York, NY, 2011, p. 92, exact decoy illustrated.

Provenance

Donal C. O'Brien, Jr. Collection