Gus Wilson Outstanding Eider Hen

Augustus "Gus" Aaron Wilson (1864-1950) South Portland, ME, c. 1900 17 1/2 in. long

"Wilson looked at waterfowl much the way the Ward brothers did. There was a similarity in their ability to capture an unusual pose and to produce a decoy that continues to enthrall even the seasoned gunners who have spent their lives observing waterfowl.” -Maine decoy author and historian Capt. John Dinan

This boldly carved sea duck is one of the finest Wilson eider hen decoys to ever be offered at public auction. The carving features an exceptionally rendered breast-preening head with carved eyes, fine bill detail, and raised wings.

This large bird is over-seventeen-inches long, over-eight-inches tall, and over-nine-and-three-quarters-inches wide. The two-piece construction features a prodigious six-and-one-half by four-and-one-quarter-inch inletted head inlay. The bottom displays an anchor-line ring fastened with a fence staple.

Wilson was born on Mount Desert Island, Maine. Though he is foremost remembered as a carver, he was also a boatbuilder, waterman, outdoorsman, and lighthouse keeper. He was an attendant to a number of Maine’s lighthouses, including the Great Duck Island Light, Goose Rocks Station on Fox Island, Two Lights Station on Cape Elizabeth, Marshalls Point Light at Port Clyde, and Spring Point Light in Casco Bay. His position as a keeper allowed him ample time to observe and carve his waterfowl subjects.

Early regional traditions and requirements drove carvers to produce big, solid decoys with modest paint patterns. Wilson refined and advanced the Maine style in his best decoys, such as this one, and by doing so, he established himself as the most iconic decoy and folk art carver of Maine and the Maritimes.

Wilson’s interests were by no means limited to decoys. He carved a variety of songbirds, decoratives, weathervanes, and big cats. A pair of Wilson’s tigers is featured in the American Identities exhibit, on display as a part of the permanent collection of the Brooklyn Museum in Brooklyn, New York. Strong and dry original paint with even gunning wear. The underside has a crack and imperfection in wood, and there is a paint drip on the left shoulder.

Provenance: Private Collection, Maine Private Collection, Florida

Literature: Robert Shaw, "Bird Decoys of North America," New York, NY, 2010, p. 149, similar decoy illustrated. Copley Fine Art Auctions, "The Donal C. O'Brien, Jr. Collection of Important American Sporting Art and Decoys, Session III," July 19, 2018, p. 137, lot 54, rigmate illustrated. Guyette and Schmidt, "Important Waterfowl Decoys & Bird Carvings at Auction," April 23 & 24, 1992," St. Charles, Illinois, back cover and p. 58, lot 228, exact decoy illustrated.

Provenance

Private Collection, Maine Private Collection, Florida