Malachi Waterfield (NC, 1832-1916), Bluebill

Knotts Island, North Carolina, circa 1870s, carved and painted wood.

Length 16.5 in.

Despite being born deaf, Malachi Waterfield was known for his remarkable eyesight, which contributed to his skill as a marksman and his passion for reading. His life became the stuff of local legend during the Civil War, when he reportedly defended his family's farm from Union soldiers, killing three in a shootout before escaping—wounded but alive—via sail skiff on Indian Creek. A fiercely independent and formidable figure, he was known to carry a pistol and brass knuckles. As a decoy carver, Waterfield specialized in wooden diver ducks such as canvasbacks and redheads, with a few rare black ducks also attributed to him. Celebrated for their sculptural quality, his decoys are prized by collectors, and some have been exhibited at Duke University Hospital and linked to the historic Ragged Island Club.

Old gunning paint taken down to existing surface.