Charles Sumner Bunn Willet

Charles Sumner Bunn (1865-1952) Shinnecock, Long Island, NY, c. 1900 10 3/4 in. long

"The shorebirds are ‘sui generis,’” writes historian and curator Bob Shaw in discussing Bunn shorebirds “carved to suggest nuances of body forms and underlying bone and muscle that no other carver even attempted.” Regarding Bunn's best works, Shaw states, “[They] transcend the decoy genre to rank among the finest bird portraits created by an American artist.” Original paint with even gunning wear, darkening to a few minor spots on head and neck, touch-up to bill and chin. Minor restoration to less than half-inch of right wing tip. Some traces of dark paint around stick hole. Less than two inches of bill replaced.

Provenance: Dr. Peter J. Muller Jr. Collection Henry Bishop Collection

Literature: Robert Shaw, "Bird Decoys of North America," New York, NY, 2010, pp. 180-181, related examples illustrated.

Provenance

Dr. Peter J. Muller Jr. Collection Henry Bishop Collection