Franklin Pierce Wright Swimming Black Duck

Franklin Pierce Wright (1854-1939) West Barnstable, MA, c. 1890 20 1/2 in. long

“Franklin Pierce Wright, the son of sea captain Zenas Weeks and Sarah Handy Wright, grew up in the village of Sandwich on Cape Cod: he was one of four boys. As a young man he worked on the railroad out of his hometown, but by the time he was married in 1885 (his new bride was Dulcina “Elsie” Crocker) he had moved north across the Cape to West Barnstable. This was very likely because it abutted the Barnstable Great Marsh. He was a seasonal market gunner and the marsh provided a wealth of waterfowl and shorebird habitat.”

-Gwladys Hopkins, "Massachusetts Masterpieces"

Finding Wright decoys with their original heads, bills, and tails intact is nearly impossible. This black duck, displaying a racy attitude with pronounced raised wing carving, is one of the maker's best examples. The carving has a meticulously designed and hollowed-out weighted underside. This design, the head attachment, and the inletted pad weight all relate to the goldeneye drake shown on page 85 of "Massachusetts Masterpieces."

Discussing the small handful of examples Gigi Hopkins writes, “Only three, perhaps four, other decoys are known by this maker. One is the snakiest, raciest merganser ever found.” This black duck's form and surface compares well to the swimming merganser discussed above. In an appealing second coat of paint with even wear.

Provenance: Private Collection, Denver, Colorado

Literature: Gwladys Hopkins, "Massachusetts Masterpieces: The Decoy as Art," Lincoln, MA, 2016, pp. 26 and 85, related decoys illustrated.

Provenance

Private Collection, Denver, Colorado