William S. Morton Rig Morton Rig Golden Plover Pair

W. S. Morton Rig Nantucket, MA, c. 1850 10 in. long

A pair of early plover with dynamic and refined transitional feather paint from tip to tail with tight gold and white patterning. The Morton moniker is credited to the rig of William Saxton Morton (1809-1871), a wealthy attorney from Quincy, Massachusetts. Morton was also the founder of the Quincy Mutual Fire Insurance Company in 1851. Both decoys in this lot bear his "W. S. Morton" brand and have two stick holes for a pair of side-by-side legs. The impact of these branded Morton rig decoys has lent the Morton title to all decoys by this early unnamed Island carver. Original paint with even gunning wear. Griffith bird has some roughness to tail edge.

Provenance: Dr. Lloyd Griffith Collection (one) Henry Bishop Collection

Literature: John and Shirley Delph, "New England Decoys," Exton, PA, 1981, p. 86, exact Griffith Collection plover illustrated twice.

Provenance

Dr. Lloyd Griffith Collection (one) Henry Bishop Collection