Fish decoys are little more than small pieces of carved wood, a bit of lead in the bottom to serve as ballast, and some paint to pretty them up. Their purpose is to attract game fish within range of the ice fisherman's spear.
Such a brief statement isn't much, but it's exactly what fish decoy collectors are looking for. That, and examples of the work of master carvers.
Many wood carvers made them during the Depression era, and some were made before and since then, but fish decoys that were used for attracting fish to the spear are wonderful examples of American folk art. And most of them are rare.
Oscar Peterson fish decoys to be auctioned Oct. 3.
That said, a major no-reserve auction of fish decoys and other outdoor items from the estate of the late John L. Warner (1927-2002) of Newark, Ohio, will be auctioned Sunday, Oct. 3, 2010, with a 8-10 a.m. viewing preview and the auction beginning at 10 a.m. The auction will be conducted by Century Asset Management, Inc. of Maple City , Michigan.
The auction will be held at the Bill Oliver Conference Center at the Rodeway Inn, 5676 M-55 (west of highway M-55 on the south side), Cadillac. Contact the auctioneers at (231) 228-6667 or <www.centuryassets.com> for additional details.
This will be the largest auction of works of art by Oscar W. Peterson (1887-1951), a noted carver from Cadillac, Michigan. Peterson fish decoys plus a few of his lures, duck decoys and fish plaques will go on the auction block, and this sale is destined to become the "fish decoy auction of the decade."
This auction will feature at least 280 lots, and Peterson carvings number 77 items. Most are fish decoys, but there are five fishing lures, several duck decoys, and other items like a carved alligator, turtle and wall plaques from the famous and gifted carver.
Provenance comes with all lots, and many of the Peterson carvings originated from the Oscar Peterson estate. Many of his fish decoys have been publicly displayed at various museums and galleries. Some of these decoys are noted in Ron Fritz's excellent book "Michigan's Master Carver, Oscar W. Peterson, 1887-1951" and Steven Michaan's great book "American Fish Decoys." Both books will be on sale at the auction.
Fish decoys by Peterson those carvers noted below.
Besides the major collection of Peterson fish decoys, there will be decoys carved by George Aho; Vernon Baggs, Sr.; Bear Creek Bait Co.; Lawrence Bethel; Carl Christiansen; Cal Demming; Andrew J. Downey; John Eddy; Delbert Edwards; William Faue; Jim Foote; David Forton; Wyman Friske; Henry Isaac Goulette; Herter's; Jerald Horan; Leroy Howell; Hans A. Janner, Jr.; Marvin Mason, Jr.; Marcel Meloche; Jim Nelson; Martin Pestrue; Arnold H. "Hook" Peterson; Ernie Peterson; Lou Petrucco; Jess Ramey; Russell Wayne Saxton; Jim Strangland; Richard Thayer; Andrew W. Trombley; Robert V. Smith; Russell D. VanHouzen; Walter Welch; Jim Wregglesworth; and by several unidentified carvers.
Gary L. Miller of Williamsburg, Mich. is one of the major authorities and collectors of these fish decoys, and he sold many of these decoys and plaques to John Warner over the years, and he considers this a major event for fish decoy collectors.
"Peterson fish decoys, and those of other master carvers, represent some of the finest folk art today," Miller said. "These small fish decoys represent one of the fastest growing aspects of today's folk art. As is true with most collectibles, the very best of any carver's work is usually the most expensive but the value of these fish decoys rises every year. This is a "No Reserve" auction.
"All fish decoys are unconditionally guaranteed to be authentic, and come with solid provenance. I photographed each item, and offer at least three views so collectors can study both sides and the bottom. They can be seen on my website at <http://web.mac.com/garylmiller> .
He said a preview of all lots will be available for viewing on Oct. 2 from Noon to 3 p.m., and Oct. 3 from 8 a.m. until the auction begins. Measurements are lengths to the closest quarter-inch.
No time to wait. Email now for more details.
Bidders are cautioned to look closely at the photos as they constitute an important part of the description. The auctioneer reserves the right to skip around, and may not necessarily sell items in their cataloged order. It is the buyer's responsibility to determine condition to his or her own satisfaction.
"This is the largest collection of Oscar Peterson art works ever to be offered at public auction," Miller said. "A total of 77 Peterson fish decoys, plaques, lures and other items will be up for bid."
It's anyone's guess when another auction of Peterson fish decoys will be held again. It probably won't be anytime soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your comments are welcome. Please keep them 'on-topic' and cordial. Others besides me read this blog, too. Thanks for your input.