George Boyd Red-breasted Merganser Drake

George Boyd (1873-1941) Seabrook, NH, c. 1910 19 in. long

This bold and racy decoy features a long, wide body with a paddle tail. The delicately carved head is slightly turned to the left with a forward-reaching and uplifted posture. The surface features both concise paint patterns and the artist’s stippled paint on the breast and along the sides. True to the species, Boyd used red glass eyes for this drake. The pencil-thin upturned bill features a carved nail at the tip. From tip to tail the bird measures nineteen inches. This decoy has been in a private collection since the early 1960s and has never previously been offered for sale. Original paint with even gunning wear, bill scratches, tight neck cracks, a couple tail chips, and original inletted wood strip by the maker in bottom.

Provenance: Aime and Janis Blouin Collection, acquired c. 1960

Literature: Jim Cullen, "Finely Carved & Nicely Painted: The Life, Art and Decoys of George H. Boyd," Rye, NH, 2009, p. 36, exact decoy illustrated.

Copley Fine Art Auction, "The Winter Sale 2014," Charleston, SC, February 2014, front cover and lots 30 and 31, rigmates illustrated.

Provenance

Aime and Janis Blouin Collection, acquired c. 1960