Charles Perdew The Konopasek Perdew Mallard Hen

Charles H. Perdew (1874-1963) Henry, IL, c. 1932 16 1/2 in. long

Anne Tandy Lacy, in her thoroughly researched treatise on the Perdews, discusses this exact decoy:

“The mallard hen...exhibits some of Edna's finest paint, similar in style to that found on the Green-winged teal carved for Robert Weeks. The bold and graceful feathers found on the back of the bird, along with the lines of the wings, are carefully outlined with a light gray paint, the same color used to accent the overlapping tips of wing feathers.”

An early Illinois River decoy with Edna Perdew's most elaborate feather paint and a classic hollow hull by Charlie. Examples of this caliber are highly coveted by collectors and showcase this husband and wife team at the top of their game.

Gene Konopasek was an important Illinois River decoy collector from Fox Grove and past president of the Midwest Decoy Collectors Association. His decoys were known for their quality and included one of the finest preeners to come out of the region, a Bert Graves mallard hen. Outstanding original paint with minimal gunning wear, a few small smudges of green paint, likely from a drake's head, and very minor working touch-up to a few small flakes mostly on the right shoulder.

Provenance: Gene Konopasek Collection Herb Wetanson Collection

Literature: Ann Tandy Lacy, "Perdew: An Illinois Tradition," Muncie, IN, 1993, pp. 138-139, exact decoy illustrated. Robert Shaw, "Call to the Sky: The Decoy Collection of James M. McCleery, M.D.," Houston, TX, 1992, p. 107, related drake illustrated. Stephen O'Brien and Julie Carlson, "Masterworks of the Illinois River," Boston, MA, 2005, p. 79, pintail hen with similar paint illustrated, p. 80, Weeks rig teal illustrated.

Provenance

Gene Konopasek Collection Herb Wetanson Collection