Knotts Island, North Carolina, circa 1900, carved and painted wood.

Length 13.75 in.

Former collection of Kroghie Andresen.
From the hunting rig of the Pocahontas Fowling Club.

Lee Dudley decoys are perhaps the most coveted of all decoy makers. This example is structurally intact. Quoting Gene and Linda Kangas in Decoys: A North American Survey, "A visual study of the complete Dudley bird form, whatever the species, reveals an uninterrupted flow from bill tip to tail`s end. The successful manner in which the bill fits into the lower cheeks, the cut of the neck-base, sweeping powerful chest, and smooth, curved body combine into one of the finer sculptural solutions in the decoy world." This is an extremely fine example.

Old gunning paint, some roughness to the top of the head, age checking to the back of the neck, small repair of a crack to the right side of the neck by Cameron McIntyre.