William J. Matthews Raised-wing Yellowlegs

William J. Matthews (1855- 1930s) Assawoman, VA, c. 1890

A plump shorebird decoy with distinct features including elliptical carved eyes, a sharp ridge down the back, and sharp V-cut wing-tips. This rotund bird measures nearly ten inches in circumference.

The Matthews rig was used on Assawoman Island located at the southern tip of what is now the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. A 1920 federal census lists a sixty-five-year-old William J. Matthews as an oysterman boarding on Chincoteague with Charles W. Purnell and William H. Purnell, the grandfather and father of this decoy's consignor.

When pioneer decoy collector, William Mackey, Jr., purchased the gunning rig from the Matthews' estate it consisted of shorebird decoys carved by several different talented Virginia makers. William Purnell, Jr. acquired this decoy from Mackey in the 1960s. A "P" is branded on the underside. Original paint with gunning wear, filler applied to back of head and smaller areas of breast, and a replaced bill.

Provenance: William Matthews Rig Estate of William Matthews William J. Mackey, Jr. Collection, acquired from the above William H. Purnell, Jr. Collection, acquired from the above

Literature: Quintina Colio, "American Decoys," Ephrata, PA, 1972, p. 60, rigmate decoy illustrated. William J. Mackey, Jr., "American Bird Decoys," New York, NY, 1965, p. 160, plate 133, rigmates illustrated

Provenance

William Matthews Rig Estate of William Matthews William J. Mackey, Jr. Collection, acquired from the above William H. Purnell, Jr. Collection, acquired from the above