A Pair of Early 20thC Folk Art Painted Decoy Ducks on Stands c.1910-20

Origin: English
Period: Edwardian / Early 20thC
Provenance: Unknown
Date: c.1910-20
Heights: 43.5” / 47”
Widths: 9” / 13”
The Bases: 5” square

The characterful pair of folk art painted wooden decoy ducks as a mallards, being the drake and hen, each hand-carved with a wonderfully naive interpretation of the bird, retaining extensive old painted decoration, the larger drake having a green-painted head and black bill, with loosely delineated plumage in white, brown, blue-grey and green, the wings further defined with simple incised cuts, whilst its smaller female companion is painted predominantly in earthy brown and grey tones with flashes of green to the wings; both now raised individually upon simple iron rods and square black display bases and surviving from the first quarter of twentieth century England.

Both birds display extensive surface wear consistent with considerable age and use, including rubbing and losses to the painted decoration, knocks, abrasions, age-related cracking and general weathering. The larger bird has a visible age crack to the breast/body and wear around the separately constructed head. The smaller bird shows particularly attractive heavy wear and patination. The iron display rods and bases are later additions. The wonderfully dry, time-worn surfaces have been left untouched and form an important part of their decorative appeal.

Wooden decoys were essentially working objects, carved and painted to imitate waterfowl and placed upon the water to encourage wild birds to settle nearby. Hand-carved examples were widespread by the nineteenth century and were frequently made from readily available timber using straightforward tools, their painted plumage intended more as a recognisable suggestion of the species than an exercise in naturalistic accuracy. Their repeated exposure to water and handling inevitably resulted in the worn and fragmented painted surfaces now particularly prized by collectors of vernacular and folk art.

A particularly appealing pair, their strong sculptural silhouettes, primitive carving and beautifully degraded painted surfaces placing them firmly within the tradition of utilitarian objects that have subsequently become appreciated as folk art. Displayed on their tall bespoke stands they now have a sculptural presence, whilst still retaining all the charm and honesty of their original working lives.