keels. On each subsequent visit Donal attempted
from among several comparable fine decoy
to get the gentleman to sell him the birds, but to
collections because it had a high percentage of
no avail. Never one to be deterred, one day Donal
‘classics’ and was most representative of the
filled the back of his jeep with fifteen good decoys
art of the decoy as practiced along the principal
and headed up to Maine. After completing the
wildfowl flyways. And we can assume that some
long journey, he pulled into the gas station and
of the decoys appeared in both exhibitions as the
asked the gentleman to come out to his jeep.
O’Briens acquired some of the best decoys in the Mackey collection.”15
Whereupon he lowered the tailgate and asked the man, “Hypothetically, would you be willing to
The guest curator of the exhibit, folk art collector
trade the merganser pair for the birds here?” The
and author Jeff Waingrow, reflects in The Clarion,
gentleman looked quizzically at Donal and asked,
“Often the loveliest carvings are also the best
“All of them?” “Yes, all of them,” said Donal. “Why
preserved...These are among the finest shorebird
sure!” was the gentleman’s reply. Donal then stated,
decoys in existence.”16 That exhibition was the last
“Great, so we have established that the mergansers
time that the O’Brien Collection was displayed to
are for sale. Take whatever you think is a fair deal.”
the public until these auction sessions.
The gentleman then proceeded to pull out several Ward Brothers, Masons, and other good decoys to
O’Brien’s knowledge in the collecting field was
complete the trade. To underscore the equity of the
widely recognized among his peers. In 1983 he was
transaction, the gentleman left several of O’Brien’s
asked to write the introduction for Clune Walsh,
offered trade birds in the jeep.
Jr.’s book Waterfowl Decoys of Michigan and the Lake St. Clair Region and in 1988 he was asked to
In the fall of 1981, seventy-three classic decoys
write the foreword for Barney Crandell’s book
from the O’Brien Collection were chosen to be
Decoying: St. Clair to the St. Lawrence.
displayed at the Museum of American Folk Art in
32
a special exhibition entitled The American Decoy:
O’Brien’s connoisseurship led him to collect some
Folk Sculpture from the Collection of Mr. and Mrs.
of the finest American bird decoys. He considered
Donal C. O’Brien, Jr. In response to the exhibit, North
the Dovetailed goose (lot 12) the best of the three
American Decoys raved: “Not since a selection of the
that Earnest discovered, and he bid accordingly
best of William J. Mackey’s great decoy collection
when the decoy came to auction in 1979. The
went on public display at the old IBM building in
Gilley-Wilson eider (lot 54), with the strongest
New York City in 1966, has there been as fine and
paint and provenance of any of the maker’s sea
important a personal collection as that of Donal
ducks, is one of Maine’s greatest decoys. Though
and Katherine O’Brien, at the Museum of American
not a sea duck, the exceptional Blum wood duck
Folk Art on 49 West 53rd Street. The Mackey
(lot 21), might vie for that title as well. The Ward
collection was chosen because it was the biggest
pintail pair (lot 33) are perfect mates, and are
and the best. The O’Brien collection was selected
considered the brothers’ most regal works. The