John Dilley Outstanding Golden Plover

John Dilley Quogue, Long Island, NY, c. 1890 10 1/2 in. long

A rare and exceptional golden plover with bright spring plumage. The full body is finished with raised S-shaped wing carving. The painted feathering is among the most elaborate seen on any shorebird decoy by any maker. A celebrated decoy from the collection of one of the early Detroit area collectors that included Michael and Julia Hall, Clune Walsh, and the past owner of this decoy, Ron Swanson. Strong original paint with light, even wear and some touch-up, including to tight filled crack along left side and darkening to bill. Old and tightly reset chip to right corner of tail.

Provenance: Ronald S. Swanson Collection Private Collection

Literature: Ronald Swanson, “The Decoy as Folk Sculpture,” Cranbrook Academy of Art Exhibition Catalog, January 1987, p. 21, fig. 32, exact decoy illustrated. Timothy Sieger, "The Decoys of Long Island," Water Mills, NY, 2010, p. 47, rigmate illustrated.

Exhibited: Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, “The Decoy as Folk Sculpture,” Cranbrook Academy of Art, January 27–February 22, 1987. New York, New York, "American Decoys: A Folk Art Tradition," David A. Schorsch American Antiques, Inc., Fall 1996.

Provenance

Ronald S. Swanson Collection Private Collection