Mason Decoy Factory The Mackey Mason Pintail

Mason Decoy Factory (1896-1924) Detroit, MI, c. 1910 18 1/2 in. long

A hollow premier-grade decoy which was never rigged and retains its exceptional strong swirl paint.

This important Mason pintail is featured front and center, alongside Mackey's famous wood duck and long-tail, on page five of Colio's "American Decoys." The carving retains the Mackey ink stamp on the underside. Excellent original paint with light wear.

Provenance: William J. Mackey Jr. Collection Dr. Peter J. Muller Jr. Collection

Literature: Dr. S. Lloyd Newberry, "Wings of Wonder: The Remarkable Story of the Cobb Family and the Priceless Decoys They Created on Their Island Paradise," Columbia, SC, 2020, front dust-jacket cover, related rootheads illustrated and p. 232, exact decoy illustrated. Richard A. Bourne Co., Inc., "Very Rare and Important American Bird Decoys from the Collection of the late William J. Mackey Jr. of Belford, New Jersey," Hyannis, MA, 1973, Session I & II, lot 206, exact decoy illustrated. Henry A. Fleckenstein Jr., "Southern Decoys of Virginia and The Carolinas," Exton, PA, 1983, pl. II, p. 33, exact decoy illustrated. Joe Engers, “Dr. Peter J. Muller: Bringing a good eye and an artistic approach to decoy collecting,” Decoy Magazine, January/February 2008, front cover and p. 8, exact decoy illustrated. Richard A. Bourne, Inc., “The Roy Bull Decoy Collection,” Hyannis, MA, March 1983, front cover, introduction, and lot 75, related example illustrated. Alexander Hunter, "The Huntsman in the South, Vol. 1, Virginia and North Carolina," New York, NY, 1908, p. 145, Cobb’s brant flock discussed. Sam Dyke, et al., “Classic Hunting Decoys & Sporting Art,” Salisbury, MD, 1994, p. 1, exact decoy illustrated. Loy S. Harrell Jr., "Decoys: North America’s One Hundred Greatest," Iola, WI, 2000, p. 59, related example illustrated. Joe Engers, ed., “Museum News: Mackey Decoy on Exhibit at Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art,” Decoy Magazine, July/August 1994, front cover and pp. 40-41, exhibition coverage.

Exhibited: Salisbury, Maryland, “Classic Hunting Decoys & Sporting Art,” Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, September 1994–January 1995.

Provenance

William J. Mackey Jr. Collection Dr. Peter J. Muller Jr. Collection