Nathan Cobb, Jr. Hissing Brant

Nathan Cobb, Jr. (1825-1905) Cobb Island, VA, c. 1890 “Old man Cobb took no part in the new deal; none ever saw him at the hotel. He had a fine a fine plot of ground, and a snug, comfortable house, and there he stayed with his tame brants, as isolated as if her were a lone fisherman on a lone isle, as in days of yore.

For many years Cobb’s Island was the most famous resort in America for the combined attraction of hunting and fishing; and a week’s stay at that place was like taking an ocean trip abroad. It possessed a peculiar fascination for the sportsman, and many of us went to the island year after year.

We went in the spring for the robin-snipe; in the summer for the bay-birds, and in the winter for that king of salt-water birds, the brant.

Cobb’s Island was a favorite rendezvous for the American Yacht squadron, and in the summer all sorts of craft filled with pleasure-seekers would anchor off the place, and there would be feast, fun and frolic.” Alexander Hunter, 1908

A rare hissing brant with hollow body construction from Cobb Island, Virginia. This decoy displays an incised and serifed "E" and an "E. B. COBB." brand on the underside, designating it as part of Elkanah B. Cobb’s (1852-1943) gunning rig. Elkanah was Nathan Cobb, Jr.'s son and a famed Island guide.

While demonstrating all of the bold features that define the Cobb style, this prime example demonstrates a refinement not often seen in Southern decoys. This bird features a rare “root-head” in an animated hissing pose. This feature was likely carved from a single twisted branch of the Southern wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera), which is abundant on the island. The thin neck supports a slightly down-turned head with subtle cheek carving and inset German glass eyes within lightly carved eye grooves. The body possesses flowing shoulder carving and diamond-cut raised wingtips.

Many believe that Cobb Island produced the finest brant decoys known. This may in part be due to a special affinity for the species that the Islanders showed. Case in point, Nathan Cobb, Sr. kept a tame flock of brant on the Island that were a local attraction and even once collateral for hotel construction loans.

In 1989 this decoy was featured on the cover of the "Year in Review" issue of "Decoy Magazine" and was illustrated on page 7. Since then the line drawing of this exact bird has appeared in countless "Decoy Magazine" promotions. This decoy was a cover lot for "North American Decoys at Auction," July 30 & 31, 2005. This brant along with a Cobb Canada goose were the top two decoy lots at auction that year.

“...[The Cobbs] were determined to produce the best decoys possible, and their work excellently served the needs of both the nineteenth-century hunter and the modern collector.” -William J. Mackey, Jr. "American Bird Decoys" Mixture of original paint and old working repaint with gunning wear including age lines and an old chip at base of the neck. Original weight.

Provenance: Captain Elkanah B. Cobb Rig Bud Ward Collection Ron Gard Collection Charles Hunter Collection Private Collection, Maryland

Literature: Joe Engers,ed., "1989 Year in Review," Decoy Magazine, 1990, front cover and p. 7, exact decoy illustrated. Gene and Linda Kangas, "Decoys: A North American Survey," Spanish Fork, UT, 1983, p. 18, rigmate illustrated. Gary Guyette and Frank Schmidt, Inc., North American Decoys at Auction, Boston, MA, July 2005, lot 92, front cover, exact decoy illustrated. Henry A. Fleckenstein, Jr., "Southern Decoys," Exton, PA, 1983, pp. 186-187, similar examples illustrated. Grayson Chesser, "Cobb Island, A hunter's paradise" "Decoy Magazine," Nov/Dec 1998, pp. 8-13. Alexander Hunter, "The Huntsman in the South, Vol. 1, Virginia and North Carolina," New York, NY, p 145.

Provenance

Captain Elkanah B. Cobb Rig Bud Ward Collection Ron Gard Collection Charles Hunter Collection Private Collection, Maryland