Merritt P. Pinkham Rockefeller Eider Pair

Capt. Merritt P. Pinkham (1861-1947) Seguin Island, ME, c. 1900 23 in. long

A pair of oversize Down East sea duck decoys with black glass eyes and inletted heads. The underside of the drake bears the inked inscription "Northern Eider by Captain Pinkham Seguin Island, ME."

Merritt Pinkham was the lighthouse keeper on Seguin Island in Maine, the state's second oldest lighthouse. He was on duty during the Great Storm of 1898 when a schooner shipwrecked on the island. According to Dr. George Ross Starr Jr. of Duxbury, MA, Pinkham salvaged the boat's pine spars and carved this eider rig out of the wood.

The underside of the hen bears David Rockefeller's collection identification number DR54.3264.2 and drake has DR54.3263.1. Original paint with gunning wear, including a few tight cracks in each bird, old stabilizing nails under drake's bill.

Provenance: Dr. George Ross Starr Jr. Collection Donal C. O'Brien Jr. Collection Peggy and David Rockefeller Collection Private Collection, North Carolina

Literature: Christie's, "The Collection of Peggy and David Rockefeller," New York, NY, May 10, 2018, lot 1039, exact pair illustrated. George Ross Starr Jr. M.D., "Decoys of the Atlantic Flyway," New York, NY, 1974.

Literature: Christie's, "The Collection of Peggy and David Rockefeller," New York, NY, May 10, 2018, lot 1039, exact pair illustrated. George Ross Starr Jr. M.D., "Decoys of the Atlantic Flyway," New York, NY, 1974.

Provenance

Dr. George Ross Starr Jr. Collection Donal C. O'Brien Jr. Collection Peggy and David Rockefeller Collection Private Collection, North Carolina