Lloyd Aaron Sterling Early Wigeon Drake

Lloyd Aaron Sterling (1880-1964) Crisfield, MD, c. 1920 14 1/4 in. long

This bold Crisfield decoy is exceedingly rare, as wigeon decoys were often used like swans and gulls, as additions to rigs, rather than as full rigs of baldpate. Adding to the bird's rarity, finding Sterling decoys in good original paint is challenging. The design of this drake shows the Crisfield archetype which influenced the Ward brothers, with wide bodies and strong lines. It was finished with rich stippled paint and excellent scratch feathering.

In their Ward brothers book, Ron Gard and Brian McGrath chose to include a Sterling wigeon drake to contrast with the Wards’ interpretations. They also addressed the special relationship Crisfielders had with wigeon decoys: “This bird was often referred to as the robber duck for his habit of stealing food that had been loosened from the bottom by the feeding of other ducks, geese, and swans. This habit is also what made the wigeon decoy into the rigs of other birds such as canvasbacks, scaup, mallards, black ducks, and geese. Swan decoys placed among wigeon decoys made a particularly effective rig. It would seem that even though the wigeon decoyed into other species, hunters and decoy makers alike still used wigeon decoys, possibly because of the attractive coloring of this bird.” Original paint with even gunning wear, including a crack in the underside. Bare heartwood on breast, a restored chip along underside of bill, and touch-up to head, including a reset crack.

Provenance: Private Collection, Maryland

Literature: Ronald J. Gard and Brian J. McGrath, "The Ward Brothers' Decoys: A Collector's Guide," Plano, TX, 1989, p. 92, related wigeon illustrated.

Provenance

Private Collection, Maryland