334 Important Canada Goose A. Elmer Crowell (1862-1952) East Harwich, MA, c. 1920 An outstanding life-size goose decoy. The tack-eyed head has carved bill detail with strong rasped feathering along the back. The body is full and well-formed with an oval brand on the bottom.
provenance:
Dr. Joseph Sherer, Jr. and his father, Joseph F. Sherer, were avid sportsmen and their waterfront farm afforded them ample space for upland game, waterfowl shooting, and fishing. Dr. Sherer traveled the world on hunting and fishing expeditions and was a member of numerous sportsman’s organizations including the famous Laurel Brook Club.
literature: Robert Shaw, Bird Decoys of North America, New York, NY, 2010, p. 160, similar decoy illustrated. Shirley and John Delph, New England Decoys, Exton, PA, 1990, pp. 115 and 147, similar examples illustrated Brian Cullity, The Songless Aviary: The World of A.E. Crowell & Son, Sandwich, MA, 1992, p. 74, figure 31, similar bird illustrated.
In the early 1900s, Joseph F. Sherer hunted with A. Elmer Crowell and George Flynn, the largest landowner on Martha’s Vineyard at the time. In original paint with light wear, an original age crack along the bottom, fly specks, and minor filler loss at the neck seam.
334
Joseph F. Sherer Collection, acquired directly from the artist Private Collection, by descent in the family to the current owner
$10,000 - $15,000