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SUPERB ORIG PAINT & PATINA c1934 KEN ANGER Hollow BLACK DUCK Wood Decoy ONTARIO
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SUPERB ORIG PAINT & PATINA c1934 KEN ANGER Hollow BLACK DUCK Wood Decoy ONTARIO
Price: US $807.00
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AWESOME, VERY EARLY,GUNNING BIRDby "The Rasp Master"

SUPERB CONDITION;c1934 KEN ANGER (1905-1960)"Hollow"BLACK DUCKWood DuckDecoy; Dunnville, Ontario, Canada

  • Awesome Feather Highlight Paint to the Back, Sides, Tail and Head!!
  • Great Deeply Carved In, IncisedWing Primaries andSecondaries!!
  • Very Nicely Carved,Precisely Contouredand Accentuated Rasp Work to the Entire Decoy!!
  • Excellent Relaxed, Slightly Turned,Head Pose with a Bill That Looks It Was Molded From the Bill of a Real Black Duck!!
  • Excellent and Very Early Low-Profile, Long Bodied Form with Nicely Carve in Wing Shoulders and Wing Separation!!

THIS DECOY HAS ITS ORIGINAL RIG MARK & OWNER'S INITIALS "FR" CARVED IN!!

IN ADDITION TO BARB JOHNSON'S COLLECTION STAMP, IT HAS THE OLD RENO OLIVER sale TAG MARKED "PASS" ONT IT!!

PROVENANCE: FROM THE WORLD FAMOUS COLLECTION OF KRISTINA BARBARA JOHNSON of PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY (HER COLLECTION STAMP ON BOTTOM)

Kristina Barbara Johnson passed away on April 18, 2013, and was not only well-liked and respected by anyone she met, but was also one of the more respected historians and collectors and was listed as one of America’s Top 100 Collectors in Art and Antiques from 1986-1996. A trustee of the American Folk Art Museum for decades, she was part of a broad and important network of folk art collectors. Her friends and acquaintances were countless and included people from all walks of life, as well as personalities from Warhol to the Kennedys. The single-owner section of Favorites from the Estate of Kristina Barbara Johnson comprises seventy-eight lots in the January sale and is made up of both traditional folk art with works by artists such as Grandma Moses, Micah Williams and William Matthew Prior and twentieth-century Outsider Artists, including Bill Traylor, William Edmonson, Sister Gertrude Morgan, Sam Doyle, William Hawkins and Thorton Dial. The works will be offered within the Important American Furniture, Folk Art and Decorative Arts sale washeld on Friday, January 24 at 10AM at Christie’s New York.

SHIPPING INCLUDES INSURANCE

This Incredibly Formed and Finished,"Hollow" Red Cedar,BlackDuckgunning decoy was carved and painted byOntario, Canada's RenownedCarver "The Rasp Master"Ken Anger(1905-1961) ofDunnville, Ontario, which is located near the mouth of the Grand River in Haldimand County, near the historic Talbot Trail. In addition to the hunting and fishing on or adjacent to the Grand River, Dunnville is a mere 5 miles or 7 kilometersupstream from Lake Erie and its plethora ofwaterfowl gunning and anglingopportunities that have existed for centuries. Dunnville is in the farthest northeastern reaches of Lake Erie and is a short hop of 20 miles south of the western Lake Ontario water basin and 36 miles west of Niagara Falls, Ontario and Buffalo, New York.

2OF ANGER'S RARER SPECIMEN'S; A Canada Goose & Hooded Merganser

4 OF KEN ANGER'S AWARD WINNING DECOYS FROM THE 1949 NATIONAL DECOY CONTEST IN NEW YORK CITY!!

Ken Anger (1905-1961) was a portly,very shy man that lived a very simple life. He never owned a car orbicycle, and seldom left the confines of Dunnville, Ontario. Born in 1905, he was raised by his grandparents at 444 Main Street West near the heart of Dunnville, and continued to live there after they passed away. He led a quiet, solitary life and never married, although he did have a broad base of friends that was comprised of fellow Monarch Knitting Mill employees, neighbors and a select group of hunting and fishing companions. His two closest friends one might say were his two cocker spaniels, and neighbors often got a chuckle hearing him call one of them in when he would say, "Come in Honey". The Anger home was located on the banks of the Grand River before it emptied into Lake Erie, and it was here and in the adjacent marshes that he was captivated by wildlife beginning at a young age. Not only was he known to fill his daily bag of ducks, but he was just as well known for letting ducks sit in his decoys so he could study their appearance and behaviorin order to transfer that knowledge into a better decoy. Anger also thoroughly enjoyed fly fishing and bait casting and he and a neighbor were known to practice casting incessantly with the rods and lures that they made. Anger must have perfected the craft as he was once awarded with 2 patches anda medal for "fly casting excellence". Curiously, Anger never learned how to swim, and after his boat capsized once on the river while fishing, he never ventured outalone again ever again.

VINTAGE PHOTO OF THE LATE GREAT CARVER KEN ANGER (1905-1961)

Around 1930, Ken Angerstarted carving as a young man while he was employed atthe local textile company as he and a couple of his co-workers took an interest in the sport. One ofhis comrades' father allowed them to use his duck hunting boats and they all urged the young Anger to make them decoys. These earliest decoy are quite like this decoy up for sale in many ways, as these initial decoys of his were flat bottomed bluebills and black ducks with blunted breasts. As hedeveloped new styles and forms to his decoys, he sold his older ones to his hunting buddies for a dollar or two, but it wasn't until the late 1930's that he chose to take his decoy making to another level afterbecoming enamored with the work of local carver Peter Pringle.At first, his decoys went relatively unnoticed except local gunners, but eventually he would become one of Ontario's most famous carvers and built a resume that included around 3,000 decoys that he carved between 1930 and his untimely passing in 1961. The demand for Anger's decoys erupted in 1941 after he placed an advertisement in the magazine, "Rod and Gun" hewould laterresign from the textile company and work full time at his trade of crafting excellent working duck and goose decoys.Another significant event that elevated his stature as a decoy carver of note, was his showing in the 1945 International Decoy Makers Contest in New York. The five decoys that he entered took three first place finishes and two second place finishes. Anger carved decoys with substantial bodies, relief-carved wings and tails and rasped surfaces. In this manner, Anger produced black ducks, scaup, Canada geese, canvasbacks, mallards, mergansers, a few pintails, redheads, wigeon and wood ducks. These are the species he produced on a regular basis; to fill a hunter's order, Anger could carve anything else. The majority of Anger's decoys (90%)are hollow, andcrafted of two thick laminated red cedar boards. Anger joined the upper and lower pieces with glue and then drove a wood screw in either side to keep the pieces from shifting while drying. Afterward, Anger removed the screws, filled in the holes, and inadvertently gave his decoys a unique identity. He fitted his lures with flat bottoms and gave them low chests and high tails. Wings were somewhat stylized with an hourglass shape carved into the center of the back. Anger attached basswood heads, usually in a forward position, though he did do a few with turned heads and alert and content attitudes. Anger's bill carving portrays detailed mandibles and some have teeth carved into bills with widths adjusted to match the species. However, it was Anger's surface carving gained him his title as the "Rasp Master." He covered the textured surfaces with subtle coloration.

When Ken Anger was producing a large number of decoys simultaneously, he would employ a step by step method. His process would follow this pattern: 1.)Select one or two species patterns; 2.)Carve all of the heads; 3.) Carve all of the Bodies; 4.) Assemble the Decoys and 5.) Paint. During the painting stage he would line up the decoys on open shelving and followthe same step by step pattern: 1.) Cover all of the Decoys with a Base Coat; 2.)Apply the Main Coat of Paint by Specie and 3.) Apply Final Detailing and Feathering. A neighbor of Anger's once noted that we would watchhim quickly walk around the rack going bird to bird with whatever step he was on. His processalso was to do one side at a time, where as he would do say for instance all ofone side of the decoysand then do all of theother sides together. This neighbor also happened to notice that this procedure had an interesting result, the right sides of the decoys he happened to see completed had upswept feathering,while the other side hadslightlydownward feathering. But when it is all said and done, this is a mute point because the heavily rasped surface clearly dominates the appearance of all of his decoys in a magnificent way.

Each of his decoys and carving creations are consideredmasterpieces in the use of a rasp. The synthesis of craftsmanship and natural authenticity are what make Anger's carvings so sought after and each of hisdecoysis rather unintentionallya testament to both nature and the world of art.The form, appearance and rasping technique inherent to his decoys is due in varying degrees to the Dean of Dunnville carving and the originator of the style, Peter Pringle. One account is that Ken Anger happened along a rig of Pringle decoys hard at work in Lake Erie near Gull Island in Lake Erie. He noticed that these decoys were more easily seen in the open waters of Erie out from the mouth of the Grand River with their higher profiles. This chance meeting would lead to a casual or professional relationship between the two men and that ona fewoccasions Anger had borrowed one of Pringle's decoys and as they say, the rest is history.

When Ken Anger entered the 1948 National Decoy Contest in New York, he won a few blue ribbons and an award for the best decoy entered from outside of the United States. The following year in 1949 at the same show, Anger received 5 Blue Ribbons and the Best Canadian Decoy award. As his reputation began to spread, hunters began to request a variety of species and from this point forward he was and always be recognized as one of the finest carvers that Canada has ever produced. Among his later accomplishments you will find miniature, 3-dimensional waterfowl carvings in addition to his ever evolving gunning decoys and decorative waterfowl carvings.

This Anger Hen Bluebill Being Compared to thePringle is Almost Identical to the Hen and Drake Bluebill Decoys Up For sale. (Certainly Same Period and Almost Assuredly the Same Year)

Anger's styleis also a reflection of his deeply-rooted knowledge ofwaterfowl behaviorandcertainlywoodworking skills. His decoys, like thisBlack Duckdecoy up for sale, havevery detailed and anatomically correct bills and all of the relative proportioning onthis decoy is like all of his decoys,very much like a live duck. Thewonderful rasp workfeathering on this decoyis amazing asit turns and twists withthe contour of the body,which is exactly howawildduckin nature looks. Theoriginalweighted keelwas removed undoubtedly, whenit wasretired to and madeits grand entrance intothe worthy decoycollectionit came from.It is not known which collection it was initially in, but it was offered at sale at least once at one of the old Reno Oliver sales at the Ward Museum, but on the tag it is noted that the item was passed. This most likely meansthat the starting price was deemed too high to garner an initial offer. This decoy does have great lineage, as it at some point made it into the incredible collection of the late Kristina Barbara Johnson of New Jersey, and her collection only contained the best of the best. It must have been a valued member of her collection, as she didn't stamp all of the decoys that she collected, and this bird certainly has her perfect stamp legible on the bottom. This excellentdecoy has the original and absolutely perfectly mounted, located and carved inbrownglass eyes. Also like thisbird up for sale, Mr.Anger carved his working decoys from2 pieces of red cedar slab with basswood heads, very typical of decoys from Ontario and the upper Midwest of the U.S. The heads, like the one on this decoy up for sale,were attached to the body with large screws from the bottom of the body with inletted, drilled holes that were covered with pounded in dowel rod ends or segments. The head construction was so solidly done that the head on this black duckis as solidly and firmly attached as the day he made this decoy. The head on this black duckwas so precisely fitted to the upswept neck shelf thatthere is only a slight hintat where the connection seam is, and it is so precise that not even a dab of neck putty was necessary. You wouldn't necessarily want to, but you could literally swing this decoy around by the head and there wouldn't even be a hint of give.This decoywasjust made to last forever andlike all of his decoys, they werecrafted with such precision and exactness that I would put the construction of this decoy up to just about anycarver's birds thatI have ever held.In addition to the perfectlyrasped in feathering, the bill was carved in very nicely and haswonderfully carvedin nostrils as well as perfectly executed upper and lower mandibles as well as a precisely cut in bill/head separation. This bill is justextraordinary and looks as ifit was cast from a realblack duck'sactual bill. The head/bill delineation is perfect, the nostrils are precise and the upper and lower mandibles are carved in with such perfection I would put them up against most of the "show" decoys that are made even today.This awesome decoy retains almost all of the original gunning paint and there is minimal and light rubbing to the external edges but typical of being a handled but very well cared for gunning decoy. The 2 large, slotted-head screws that go into the decoy from the bottom are what was used to hold the two halves together along with the head screw.When they were inserted, the two halves were also glued together to make sure that this seam lasted forever.All 3 of the screw holes were countersunk and the holes were then sealed with glued and pounded in dowel ends to ensure the integrity of the hole so it stayed dry and watertight forever. The paint on this decoys is 100% original and perfect and it has an"outstanding" patina as you can see from the many close up photos. The light brownfeather detail paint on the body and the beige/olive highlight feather paint on the head looks "extraordinary" as it has been burnished to a golden and translucent glow from years of handlingthat is naturally polished to a beautifulsheen by oils from the human hand. Another aspect of this decoy that adds immeasurable to the patina, is thelightly hued radiance that jumps off of the surface where the underlying wood filler was used on the original wood and now is also burnished from handling to a vivid golden color. From a carving standpoint, this decoy exhibits many awesome and very old carving details that Anger used early on that now give this decoy a very "classic" appeal and allure. The sunken cheeks right before the bill begins gives this decoy an almost antique appearance and helps accentuate the wonderfully carved in and detailedbill and enables it to "jump" off of the face. The tail and wing tips are also wonderfully executed and have that classic "Ontario" gunning decoy feel to them.Not only are the tail and wing tips wonderfully carved in, but when you add in the finely detailed carving to the wing primaries and wing separation, they allappearsimply carved, and yet somehow look marvelously complicated how they display. Besides the incredible rasp work on this awesome decoy, by far the most desirable aspect of this decoy is the precise symmetry and realistic appearance that only the most gifted carvers are able to pull off with anyfrequency and continuity.

This awesome andvintageKen Anger"Hollow" Black Duck wood decoywas carved precisely and life-sized to a big adult bird in the wild and measuresa very long-bodied17-1/4" long x 6-7/8" wide x 6" tall and weighs avery sturdyyet "very-well" hollowed2-lbs exactly. which isastoundingly lightfor a big, open-water,gunning bird. Anger's decoys in may cases are carved slightly over-sized and that is the case of this pair of decoys. This beautiful and magnificentdecoy was carved perfectly like a black duck in the wild as arealblack duckin the wild measures on average 22" from the tip of the tail to the end of the bill when stretched out, and this true-to-lifedecoy would measure about 23-24" if you could stretch it out in the same manner. Thisdecoy isinfantasticoriginal conditionand structurallyMINT!! This bird isas solid as the daythat it wasmade, and as you can see by the bottom photo, the plugs for all 3 of the screw holesare tight and perfectly intact and the rig initials "FR" were perfectly carved in and clean and legible.There is ironicallytwoshot marksto thehead which means it was an errant couple of pellets from the bottom of the pattern of shot. One of the pellets is paint free and lodged just under the surface of the decoy's right cheek and the other lodged in well under the surface right in front of the decoy's right eye. These must have been great rig birds to hunt over as ducks must have been able to see thislarge and very wide decoyfrom quite a distance. It must have been quite a sight to see a rig of these beauties riding over the tops of one-footers on the edge of the marsh on the Grand River. In addition to visibility, I am sure any passing duck that saw a rig of these relaxed turned headblack duckswould dive right in, which is something the wariest of ducks is not normally known to do very often. Thenicebrownglass eyes are perfectly carved in and mounted on the head like its wild kin, although both have tiny chips, that in my opinion only add to the allure of this awesome and vintage old gunning decoy.Once again, the perfectly carved in wings, as well as the back, side and head feather detail paint are all precise and wonderfully conceived. If you have any questions or would like an additional close-up of an area of the bird feel free to email me. Thank youfor looking.

PHOTO of the Late KRISTINA BARBARA JOHNSON of Princeton, New Jersey

PROVENANCE: FROM THE WORLD FAMOUS COLLECTION OF KRISTINA BARBARA JOHNSON of PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY (HER COLLECTION STAMP ON BOTTOM)

Kristina was a lawyer, art collector and lover of life and all that life had to offer. She lived large; her energy inextinguishable. Guided by her heart, she left an inedible mark on everyone she met.

Born in Berlin, Germany, Kristina came to this country as a student. Her early career was in modeling and advertising. She was an agent for Andy Warhol, Raymond Savignac, Man Ray and other pop culture icons of the time. Versed in several languages, she specialized in engaging foreign artists for American journals and Life magazine.

From cowboys to cars, Kristina became enthralled by anything quintessentially American. She amassed the largest single-owner collection of whaling artifacts, books and manuscripts and became a leading historian in the field. She founded the Whale Research Foundation, Princeton, N.J.

In the mid-80s, she sent the collection off into the world with four sales at Sotheby’s and two sales at Swann Galleries. She donated her meticulously indexed library to a maritime historical society in San Francisco.

Kristina served on several nonprofit governance boards, including the Arts Council of Princeton, the American Folk Art Museum, the South Street Seaport Museum, The National Maritime Society and the New Jersey Ballet Company.

Her service to the American Folk Art Museum in New York City spanned over 40 years. During this time, she curated several exhibitions, inaugurated an annual lecture series and created a scholarship fund for the Folk Art Institute. She established and contributed to The Clarion, which evolved into one of the most respected scholarly journals in the field of folk art.

Kristina authored, contributed to or was featured in a multitude of news journals, books and other publications including Art and sale (where she was an associate editor), Arts and Antiques (where she was featured as one of America’s 100 Top Collectors for three consecutive years), Town and Country, Forbes, Inquirer and Mirror, Nantucket; Money, Life and the Time-Life books series. She was featured in two nationally televised programs, including Good Morning America.

She lectured nationally and internationally at such venues as the Smithsonian, DAR (D.C.), the Melville Society, Mystic Seaport, the New York and New Jersey Historical Societies, Princeton University, NYU and the American Museum in Bath, England. Kristina was nominated as one of four candidates for Woman of the Year for the Arts at a Bicentennial Celebration sponsored by the Smithsonian in 1974.

Voluntary and paid consulting jobs included the Metropolitan Museum, the Whitney Museum, American Association of Museums, Ford Foundation; Time-Life Publications, the White House (twice) and Gracie Mansion. She was an advisor to the Ford Foundation, American Federation of the Arts and the Nantucket Whaling Museum.

She curated, consulted for and contributed to a multitude of exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum, The American Folk Art Museum, the Nantucket and New Bedford Whaling Museums and others. She was most proud of her renowned hooked rug show, “American Classics” in Princeton.

Perhaps the accomplishment of which Kristina took the most pride was becoming a lawyer in 1978. She authored several legal publications and applied herself to intellectual property where she could combine her love for art with her new-found education. She also loved to collect and drive vintage American cars.

The first 20 photos in the photo section of this listing are of this awesome black duck decoy up for sale and the last 4 photos are of other vintage black ducks by Anger with the approximate years carved. The photos below are of other awesome Ken Anger decoys from various eras and exhibiting various styles.






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