The catalog record
Mr. Bronsdon Harwich, MA, c. 1890 9 3/4 in. long
A plump golden plover with split-tail carving and thick original paint. Regarding a nearly identical plover in his book, Mackey writes, "Bronsdon could whittle a fine plover but was unable to do it justice when it came to painting. The illustration shows some of the Golden Plover carved by Bronsdon but painted by Elmer Crowell."
Maritime Canada decoy specialist Gary Guyette documents decoys of this form as being the work of John Ramsey. This exact decoy was identified as a Nantucket decoy in the McCleery Collection sale catalog. Original paint with light gunning wear.
Provenance: Bronsdon Rig, Harwich, Massachusetts Dr. James M. McCleery Collection Dr. Morton D. Kramer Collection
Literature: Sotheby's and Guyette and Schmidt, "American Waterfowl Decoys: The Distinguished Collection of Dr. James M. McCleery," New York, NY, January 22-23, 2000, p. 224, lot 565, exact decoy illustrated.
Provenance
Bronsdon Rig, Harwich, Massachusetts Dr. James M. McCleery Collection Dr. Morton D. Kramer Collection
Comparable sales
No other Mr. Bronsdon Plovers in the data yet.
Same maker and species, most recent first. Prices include the buyer's premium. All Mr. Bronsdon sales