James Best (NC, 1866-1933), Important Redhead

Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, circa 1900, carved and painted wood, double spike ballast with a Sanders foundry cast iron weight added with four hand cut nails.

Length 15 in.

From the Personal Collection of Philip and Susan Harvey.

The decoy collecting community now recognizes the outstanding work of James Best and acknowledges that he is probably the most skilled of all the North Carolina decoy carvers. It is not known how many decoys James carved but they are extremely rare. He was not an avid hunter but was an extremely talented cobbler, carpenter, and decoy maker. This stunning sculptural redhead is pleasing to the eye.

Most of the original paint worn to bare wood, tight age checks in the body, hit by shot on the right side.