Lothrop Holmes The Mccleery-holmes Plover

Lothrop Holmes (1824-1899) Kingston, MA, c. 1880 11 1/4 in. long

“Lothrop Holmes of Kingston, Massachusetts was another talent whose creations are the pinnacle of artistic mastery...Two of his masterpieces [this plover and a ruddy turnstone] are in the McCleery collection and require concentration and infinite revisiting to unfold the depth of their beauty.” -Dr. Lloyd T. Griffith, “Shorebirds: Aesthetic Icons of Nature and American Folk Art”

“Holmes' plover (shown right, and in Plate 15) is the first vintage decoy I really fell in love with, and fifty years on, I still love it. In fact, when museum director Amy Montague proposed the exhibition upon which our book is based, the bird was instantly number one on my must-have list.” - Gigi Hopkins discussing the McCleery Holmes Plover in her Preface, “Massachusetts Masterpieces,” 2016

“This Holmes plover is one of the most beautiful bird portraits ever found. Its silhouette, angle on the dowel, and shape of the wing, tail and head are all perfect. Its complement of paint is wonderful: the black on the face leaving the appropriate white lower lid around the eye is subtle but keenly-seen. The playful line on each side of the chest defining the interlacing black and white breast feathers is a visual joy, as is the cavalier pouncing on the back, nailing the complex feather pattern.” - Gigi Hopkins discussing the McCleery Holmes Plover in “Massachusetts Masterpieces”

This plover first surfaced around the late 1960s at a small auction in Concord, Massachusetts, where Philip Y. DeNormandie won it as an unknown carving. It remained in his collection alongside other Massachusetts masterworks, including the Phillips Crowell preening pintail and the Harry V. Long Crowell flying goose until it was sold at auction in 1986. It then joined the Harry V. Long Crowell preening goose in Dr. James McCleery’s collection where he placed it at the center of his shorebird shelf, facing the famous Holmes ruddy turnstone.

In 2000, the legendary Southern collector Dr. Lloyd Griffith challenged viewers before the McCleery auction by stating that this plover and its companion turnstone “...require concentration and infinite revisiting to unfold the depth of their beauty.”

Over fifteen years later, New England decoy specialist Gigi Hopkins chronicled it as “the first vintage decoy I really fell in love with” in her "Massachusetts Masterpieces” book preface. She continued, “In fact, when museum director Amy Montague proposed the exhibition upon which our book is based, the bird was instantly number one on my must-have list.” Her essay dedicated to the bird states, “This Holmes plover is one of the most beautiful bird portraits ever found. Its silhouette, angle on the dowel, and shape of the wing, tail and head are all perfect.”

The now-iconic McCleery Holmes plover has been featured in no less than seven important books, selected for major museum exhibitions, and is one of the most celebrated American shorebird decoys in existence.

The underside retains the McCleery Collection stamp and "J. C. WILLIS" is painted under the tail. Original paint with minimal gunning wear.

Provenance: J. C. Willis Rig Philip Y. DeNormandie Collection, acquired circa 1970 James M. McCleery, M.D. Collection Peter and Judy Van Dyke Collection Private Collection

Literature: Gwladys Hopkins, "Massachusetts Masterpieces," Lincoln, MA, 2016, p. 13, exact bird illustrated, pp. 44-47, exact decoy illustrated and discussed in two essays. Stephen B. O’Brien Jr. and Chelsie W. Olney, "Elmer Crowell: Father of American Bird Carving," Hingham, MA, 2019, p. 278, exact decoy illustrated. Ronald J. Gard and Robert Shaw, eds., "The McCleery Auction," Dallas, TX, 2001, pp. 36, 86, and 120, exact decoy illustrated and discussed, including Lloyd Griffith's essay. John and Shirley Delph, "New England Decoys," Exton, PA, 1990, p. 122, exact decoy illustrated, image reversed. Sotheby's and Guyette & Schmidt, "American Waterfowl Decoys: The Distinguished Collection of Dr. James M. McCleery," New York, NY, 2000, p. 206, lot 540, exact decoy illustrated. Robert Shaw, "Bird Decoys of North America," New York, NY, 2010, p. 154, exact decoy illustrated. Joe Engers, ed., "The Great Book of Wildfowl Decoys," San Diego, CA, 1990, p. 46, exact decoy illustrated. Robert Shaw, "Call to the Sky: The Decoy Collection of James M. McCleery, M.D.," Houston, TX, 1992, p. 29, exact decoy illustrated. Richard W. Oliver, "Rare and Important American Bird Decoys," Kennebunk, ME, July 1986, lot 562, exact decoy illustrated. Copley Fine Art Auctions, "The Sporting Sale," July 2016, Plymouth, MA, front cover and lot 309, exact decoy illustrated.

Provenance

J. C. Willis Rig Philip Y. DeNormandie Collection, acquired circa 1970 James M. McCleery, M.D. Collection Peter and Judy Van Dyke Collection Private Collection