Lee Dudley Canvasback Drake

Lee Dudley (1860-1942) Knott's Island, NC, c. 1890 Dudley decoys have been held in the highest regard by collectors of all regions from the earliest days of decoy collecting. In fact, the two seminal books on decoy collecting, William J. Mackey’s American Bird Decoys and Joel Barber’s Water Fowl Decoys both begin their first chapter with stories of Dudley decoys and the authors reverence for them. Barber's particular love of Dudley decoys is further illustrated in the first three plates of his book, the first of which depicts two Dudley decoys prominently displayed top and center on one of his walls. Furthermore, in 1981 a panel of experts reviewing the decoy collection at the Shelburne Museum declared these Dudley decoys of Barbers to be the best of the collection.

This bird is one of the finest examples of a Dudley canvasback ever to come to light and is believed to have been made for Dudley’s personal gunning rig. The canvasback decoys from this rig represent some of the earliest and rarest of Dudley’s carvings and can be distinguished by their smooth humpbacks, lack of wing carving and painted eyes upon the stylishly carved high-crowned heads. Birds from this famous early rig bear Dudley’s original “LD” brand on the bottom. According to Barber Lee Dudley told him that “… in 1913 the whole Dudley rig had been sold to [a Knotts Island] club at the then prevailing price of fifty cents apiece.”

According to one authoritative decoy collector, this decoy was a gift from Joel Barber to Tom Marshall as told to him by Tom. At the time the decoy sold to the current owner in 1985, Betty Marshall stated that the decoy came to them by the way of a trade from William Mackey in 1957 for a Albert Laing decoy. Betty Marshall had this decoy in the back window of her sedan for years and years and in effect it acted as a logo for her real estate business.

The Dudley decoy has always been known for its bold singular form and this carving exemplifies all of the desirable attributes one would look for, including an original head and bill. To draw from Gene and Linda Kangas’ Decoys: A North American Survey, “A visual study of the complete Dudley bird form, whatever the species, reveals an uninterrupted flow from bill tip to tail’s end. The successful manner in which the bill fits into the lower cheeks, the cut of the neck-base, sweeping powerful chest, and smooth, curved body combine into one of the finer sculptural solutions in the decoy world... The Dudley carving style consistently depicts both the head and body forms as a totality, resulting in a fine sculptural portrait…”

Though it is likely that Lee Dudley made hundreds of decoys over the course of his decades-long career, it is believed that a few dozen honest carvings remain today. The least common of these being those with the classic “LD” brand.

The form, execution, provenance and rarity of this coveted Knott's Island canvasback make it a museum quality decoy and one of the finest southern decoys to ever be offered for sale at auction.

Heavy gunning wear with a mix of some remaining original paint and working repaint partially taken down by Ken DeLong.

Provenance: Thomas and Betty Marshall Collection (acquired from either Joel Barber or William J. Mackey over 53 years ago) Private Collection, Michigan (acquired from the above in the mid 1980's)

Literature: Dick McIntyre, “The Dudley Decoy,” Decoy Magazine, Burtonsville, MD, March/April 1994, cover story, pp. 8-14. Henry A Fleckenstein, Jr., "Southern Decoys of Virginia and the Carolinas," Exton, PA, 1983, pp. 215-219. Joel Barber, "Wild Fowl Decoys," New York, NY, 1954, pp. 1-5, plates 1-3. Gene and Linda Kangas, “Decoys: A North American Survey,” Spanish Fork, UT, 1983, pp. 3-4, color plate 1, similar decoy illustrated.

Provenance

Thomas and Betty Marshall Collection (acquired from either Joel Barber or William J. Mackey over 53 years ago) Private Collection, Michigan (acquired from the above in the mid 1980's)