Important Cape May Merganser Pair
Cape May, NJ, c. 1880
17 in. long

"The Atlantic City-Cape May area has been the source of some especially stylish early sheldrakes..." - Kenneth Gosner, "Working Decoys of the Jersey Coast and Delaware Valley"

These Cape May mergansers hail from the Fred and Ellen Noyes Collection, founders of the Noyes Museum of Art. This pair is among New Jersey's most distinct decoy forms. Their only known comparables are the celebrated Mackey-Rockefeller pair seen in Quintina Colio's 1972 book "American Decoys." This Noyes pair was chosen by illustrator and naturalist Kenneth Gosner for his "Working Decoys of the Jersey Coast and Delaware Valley" book in 1985.

Each bird features distinctly upswept bills, serpentine necks with proud sweeping breasts, and long and sleek bodies. The heads have thin carved wooden crests and incised eyes. The underside of each retains its poured rectangular weight and stamped Noyes Collection number.

Current research attributes these birds to the Stites family.
Both birds have original and old working paint with moderate gunning wear. Both crests and drake's bill restored. Drake has tight neck crack.

Provenance: Fred and Ellen Noyes Collection
Private Collection

Literature: Kenneth L. Gosner, "Working Decoys of the Jersey Coast and Delaware Valley," Cranbury, NJ, 1985, pl. 36, exact carvings illustrated.Quintina Colio, "American Decoys," Ephrata, PA, 1972, pp. 20-21, Mackey-Rockefeller pair illustrated.

Please refer to the description; if you have additional questions, email colin@copleyart.com.