Joseph Lincoln Exceedingly Rare Eskimo Curlew

Joseph W. Lincoln (1859-1938) Accord, MA, c. 1890 13 1/2 in. long

Carvings of this now-extinct species rarely surface, making this example by one of Massachusetts' most famed makers all the more alluring. Only three Lincoln Eskimo curlew are thought to have survived.

This plump curlew, along with its two rigmates, was discovered on Nantucket in the early 1960s by collector Donal C. O'Brien Jr. Shortly thereafter, O'Brien sold, or traded, this example to Dr. James M. McCleery. Another was acquired by Ogden Pleissner biographer Peter Bergh and was later obtained by noted shorebird decoy collector Grant Nelson in 1997. Stamped "McCLEERY" on the underside. Early gunning paint with even wear.

Provenance: Donal C. O'Brien Jr. Collection Dr. James M. McCleery Collection Cap Vinal Collection Private Collection, Massachusetts

Literature: Sotheby's and Guyette & Schmidt, "American Waterfowl Decoys: The Distinguished Collection of Dr. James M. McCleery," New York, NY, 2000, p. 212, lot 566, exact decoy illustrated. John M. Levinson and Somers G. Headley, "Shorebirds," Centreville, MD, 1991, p. 56, rigmate illustrated.

Provenance

Donal C. O'Brien Jr. Collection Dr. James M. McCleery Collection Cap Vinal Collection Private Collection, Massachusetts