Harry V. Shourds The O'brien Shourds Peep

Harry V. Shourds (1861-1920) Tuckerton, NJ, c. 1890 8 1/4 in. long

Sanderling carvings by this maker are exceedingly rare with the majority of Shourds stick-ups fashioned as plovers and yellowlegs. This gunned-over decoy is a premier example. The underside retains the stamp denoting the Donal C. O'Brien Jr. Collection. Original paint with gunning wear, including some flaking and replaced bill.

Provenance: Donal C. O'Brien Jr. Collection Private Collection, Florida

Literature: Peter Johnson and Alf Wannenburgh, “The World of Shooting,” Lausanne, Switzerland, 1987, pp. 259-261, exact decoy illustrated. Copley Fine Art Auctions, "The Donal C. O'Brien, Jr. Collection of Important American Sporting Art and Decoys, Sessions I-II," Hingham, MA, 2017, front inside boards of hard-cover edition, pp. 138-143, lots 68-75, exact decoy in O'Brien Shourds rig illustrated.

Provenance

Donal C. O'Brien Jr. Collection Private Collection, Florida