In their upcoming July 30 and 31 Sporting Sale 2013, Copley Fine Art Auctions will present for sale over 650 lots of American bird decoys, decorative carvings, paintings, bronzes, folk art, books, and Americana. Comprised of a range of exemplary items, this sale features decoys from across the country, with Southern birds having an especially strong presence, as well as paintings, prints, and bronzes representing a variety of genres.

Decoys will kick off the sale, with Copley offering an exemplary single-owner collection of southern birds by Ira D. Hudson (1873-1949), including a merganser pair ($175/225,000), pintail pair ($70/80,000), bufflehead pair ($55/70,000), broadbill pair ($17,5/22,500), brant ($15/25,000), and Canada goose pair ($35/45,000).

The sale also features a fine selection of decoys by the Ward brothers (Lemuel T., 1896-1983 and Stephen, 1895-1976) including a 1936 mallard drake ($8/12,000) from the White Mallard Outing Club in California and a classic 1936 canvasback drake ($15/25,000).

The firm has assembled a terrific selection of New Jersey maker Harry V. Shourds’ (1861-1920) decoys. Among the highlights are a swimming black duck ($60/90,000), a redhead drake ($7/10,000), possibly the carver’s finest example of a brant ($25/35,000), as well as four prime examples of shorebirds, including a rare sanderling ($12/18,000).

There will be a solid selection of works by A. Elmer Crowell (1862-1952), as well as numerous other New England makers. A Joseph Lincoln (1859-1938) bluebill drake ($14/18,000) and an old squaw hen ($30/50,000) from the Starr collection, an Augustus Wilson (1864-1950) preening mallard drake ($30/50,000), and works from George Boyd (1873-1941), George Hinkley (1853-1929), and Dr. Clarence T. Gardner (1844-1907) and Newton Dexter (d. 1901) are among the most notable birds.  In addition to these decoys, Copley has unearthed a rare pair of red-breasted mergansers ($45/55,000) from Stratford, Connecticut that represent the best of their kind, and are fresh to the market.

A grouping of several nice birds by the Illinois River’s most prestigious makers, such as Charles Walker (1873-1954), Charles Perdew (1882-1964), and Robert Elliston (1847-1925), will cross the auction block. West coast decoys are also represented in the sale, with birds from a single collection, including works by Richard "Fresh Air Dick" Janson (1872-1951).

Session II will be filled with classic examples by top artists, with subjects and styles drawn from the sporting, Western, wildlife, and American Impressionist genres, to name a few. 

Day two of the sale will kick off with the most important grouping of Gerard Hardenbergh (1855-1915) works to come to recent market. These six paintings of quail come out of a single-owner collection. The top oil of the bunch, Bevy of Beauties ($15/25,000), is expected to set a new world record for Hardenbergh.

A classic oil by southern artist William Aiken Walker (1838-1921) featuring a cotton picker at the New Orleans docks ($30/50,000), will cross the auction block. A popular folk artist, Walker is known for his depictions of the South during the period following the Civil War.

Copley will offer a Frederic S. Remington (1861-1909) ink-wash titled Good Injun Good Tenderfoot ($50/70,000), which represents some of the artist’s best work in the subject and medium.

Copley looks to continue its industry-leading record with works by Carl Rungius (1869-1959). They will not only offer etchings by the renowned wildlife artist, but a major oil of mountain goats ($125/175,000). This important early work shows the artist beginning his exploration of the Northwest, which would become his subject matter for the rest of his career.

A group of four major Ogden M. Pleissner (1903-1985) watercolors, demonstrating the artist’s skill in depicting all genres of sporting life, are among the highlights of the painting sale. The works include representations of salmon fishing, trout fishing, woodcock shooting, and a southern quail hunting scene ($40/60,000 each).

Another notable work is a watercolor of mallards by premier Boston artist Frank W. Benson (1862-1951). A Boston impressionist and wildlife painter, Benson has expertly handled the paint in this top notch watercolor.  Also hailing from Boston, the artist Aiden Lassell Ripley (1896-1969) is well represented in Copley’s sale. His watercolor of turkey hunting at a southern plantation ($20/40,000) exemplifies the artist’s skill in this genre.

Copley is pleased to offer three oils by Harry Curieux Adamson (1916-2012) one depicting speckle belly geese ($3/5,000), one of pintails ($8/10,000), and one of mallards coming in ($14/18,000). Other paintings featuring waterfowl include major oils by Philip R. Goodwin (1882-1935) and Lynn Bogue Hunt (1878-1960), and other originals by artists like Gustav Muss-Arnolt (1858-1927), Milton C. Weiler (1910-1974), Roland H. Clark (1874-1957), and David Hagerbaumer (b. 1921).

Copley has assembled several top-of-the-line bronzes by makers such as William Koelpin (1938-1996), whose work consistently sees solid results at the firm’s auctions. In addition they will offer bronzes by Harry Wickey (1892-1968) and Carl Kauba (1865-1922).

Also included in the auction are original works by, Frank Stick (1884-1966), Luke Frazier (b. 1970), Robert Abbett (b. 1926), Edward Potthast (1857-1927), and William Schaldach (1896-1982), among many other renowned American artists.

The two-day sale will commence with decoys, decorative carvings, and folk art on Tuesday, July 30 at 11:00am, and paintings, bronzes, works on paper, and books will be offered the following day Wednesday, July 31 at 11:00am. The sale and dealer exhibition will be held at the Radisson Hotel, 180 Water Street in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Those wishing to preview auction items can do so on Monday, July 29 from 5:30—7:30pm at the cocktail reception, as well as on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 8:30-10:30 am. Please visit our website, copleyart.com or call 617-536-0030 with questions, to preview the sale, or to order your Sporting Sale 2013 catalog.