Copley Fine Art Auctions (www.copleyart.com) is excited to announce its 2014 Winter Sale will be held on February 13th in Charleston, South Carolina.

This year, Copley will hold its sale the same week as the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition (SEWE), when the venerable Southern city will be a vibrant hub of wildlife and sporting art enthusiasts. The American Theater, located in the Upper King Street Design District, will host the one-day auction of select decoys and American art. Open to all, the preview times will be Wednesday, February 12 from 5 to 7 in the evening and Thursday, February 13 from 8:30 to 10:30 in the morning. Bidding will start at 11AM.

Copley has been looking to turn its attention south to accommodate the many collectors and art enthusiasts from the region. Most recently, Copley set two world records with Southern scenes: a quail hunting watercolor by Ogden M. Pleissner (1905-1983), $120,750, and a portrait by William Aiken Walker (1838-1921), $83,380.

A significant estate originating in Aiken, South Carolina will headline the auction, and the sale will feature almost forty lots from this estate, including two watercolors by noted painter and sportsman Ogden M. Pleissner: Salmon Fishing ($40/60,000) and Southern Cabin ($40/60,000). An additional oil painting by the artist, Salmon Fisherman ($30/60,000), will join a significant offering of classic American sporting art by artists such as Paul Desmond Brown (1893-1958), with over twenty works, Robert Verity Clem (1933-2010), Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874-1927), with over a dozen pieces, William J. Koelpin (1938-1996), Chet Reneson (b. 1934), Aiden Lassell Ripley (1896-1969), and Percival Rosseau (1859-1937), among many others.

Important carvings previously in the collection of Dr. James M. McCleery will headline the decoy portion of the sale. These pieces include two rare “paddle tail” Red-Breasted Mergansers ($100/150,000 each) by New Hampshire carver George Boyd (1873-1941). A Ruddy Turnstone carved by John Dilley, c. 1890 ($80/120,000), will also be available. Once owned by one of the trailblazers of decoy collecting, these carvings offer a notable opportunity for the collector to own decoy history. Decoys by Ira Hudson (1873-1949), Charles E. “Shang” Wheeler (1872-1949), and Augustus Wilson (1864-1950), along with many other named makers, will round out the offering of top-tier birds available this winter.

Online bidding on over 325 items will be available through Artfact.com and a full color catalog will be available three before the sale. The auction will take place at the American Theater in Charleston, SC, with a preview on Wednesday, February 12 from 5 to 7 PM and Thursday, February 13th from 8:30 to 10:30 AM, with bidding to commence at 11 AM. For more information, a full schedule of events, or to order a catalog please send an email to info@copleyart.com, call 617.536.0030, or visit www.copleyart.com.

Copley Fine Art Auctions, LLC is located at 268 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116.