Premier Grade Mallard Pair by the Mason Decoy Factory, Detroit, Michigan (1896-1924); Hollow three-piece construction; Brown and black glass eyes; Height 7", Length 17-1/2", Width 5-1/2"
This pair of Mason mallards was recently discovered in their original shipping box. Both decoys retain remnants of the newspaper that was used to pack them when they left the factory in the early 1900s. Both birds are in excellent condition and show the fine swirl paint and the classic Premiere form that decoy and folk art collectors covet.
Provenance: Private collection, Baltimore, Maryland
Literature: Adele Earnest, The Art of the Decoy: American Bird Carvings (1965) pp. 137-144. Russ Goldberger and Alan Haid, Mason Decoys: A Complete Pictorial Guide (1993) p. 20.
Sotheby's and Guyette & Schmidt's Sale 7419 Catalogue, American Waterfowl Decoys: The Distinguished Collection of Dr. James M. McCleery (2000) pp. 178-179.
