Birdsall Ridgeway Preening Brant

Birdsall Ridgeway (1912-1982) Barnegat, NJ, c. 1935 An early, hollow, preening brant decoy by this Barnegat carver, whose works relate stylistically to those of Sam Soper (1863-1943). A brant with similar paint and form and two Canada geese by this maker are held in the Shelburne Museum Collection in Vermont. In 1958, the Shelburne Museum's sleeping brant was included in a touring exhibition of folk art sponsored by the U.S. Government in South America. Original feathering on sides and back, working paint on black and white, with gunning wear.

Provenance: Private Collection, Nantucket, purchased from Stephen O'Brien, Jr. Fine Arts c. 1998

Literature: Gene Kangas, “Gus Wilson, Folk Artist,” Decoy Magazine, Lewes, DE, November/December 1994, pp. 8-13. Quintina Colio, "American Decoys," Ephrata, PA, 1972, pp. 30-31. Joe Engers, ed. "The Great Book of Wildfowl Decoys," San Diego, CA, 1990, pp. 36-41.

Provenance

Private Collection, Nantucket, purchased from Stephen O'Brien, Jr. Fine Arts c. 1998