Ward Brothers Standing Blue-winged Teal Pair

The Ward Brothers Lemuel T. (1896-1984) and Stephen (1895-1976) Crisfield, MD, c. 1945 hen is 10 1/4 in. tall

An exceedingly rare pair of standing blue-winged teal with "peach basket" wings. A similar pair is held by the Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art at Salisbury University, located in Salisbury, Maryland.

This pair displays applied wings, glass eyes, and feet mounted on half-round bases. This lot, along with a closely related pair sold by this firm in 2008, is among the finest Ward teal pairs known to exist. Both birds have been professionally mounted on contemporary wooden bases for stabilization and display. Outstanding original paint, some touch-up to legs and feet.

Provenance: Herb Wetanson Collection

Literature: Velma Barry and Richard Berkey, “Pioneer Decoy Carvers: A Biography of Lemuel and Stephen Ward,” Cambridge, MD, 1977, front cover and p. 55, related carvings illustrated.

Provenance

Herb Wetanson Collection