John English Wigeon Hen

John English (1848-1915) Florence, NJ, c. 1880 13 1/2 in. long

A tack-eyed, hollow-carved Delaware River decoy with its original weight and a Mackey Collection stamp on the underside. A heralded example in working paint by the celebrated John Dawson (1889-1959). In excellent Dawson paint with even gunning wear.

Provenance: John Dawson Rig William J. Mackey Jr. Collection William J. Butler Jr. Collection

Literature: 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 IV, lot 64, exact decoy illustrated. H. Harrison Huster and Doug Knight, "Floating Sculptures: The Decoys of the Delaware River," Spanish Fork, UT, 1982, p. 149, exact decoy illustrated.

Provenance

John Dawson Rig William J. Mackey Jr. Collection William J. Butler Jr. Collection