Duck Decoy Vintage Scaup Carved Original Paint Folk Art

This large, heavy old scaup duck was a working decoy and it shows. The drake was carved out of a solid chunk of wood that had some gouges out of it before it was carved. The marks of the rasp and chisel are obvious; the anonymous carver did not bother to smooth them.

The duck has a gray bill (that photographed more like tan in some of the photos); tack eyes painted yellow, a round, peaked head, a white wing patch on both sides and white paint under the tail. There is overall cracking to the paint on the underside from water immersion and an old nailed-on lead strip.

The decoy measures 15 inches long, making him full-size, 4 3/4 inches across the breast and 7 1/2 inches tall to the top of its head. Its weight is 2 1/4 pounds and for a working decoy, it's in very good shape. It's not only a desirable decoy but a fine piece of folk art.

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PYH 5755