Inside Decoys from Shelburne Museum

Bluebill Drake, 1952-192.189

This decoy attributed to Benjamin Holmes was formerly in Joel Barber’s collection and bears an inscription in pencil on the underside that indicates that it was once part of a rig owned by Cappy Wicks. No maker’s mark is visually evident on the underside of the decoy perhaps due to the presence of a square wood base affixed to the decoy with nails. Marks consistent with twine, perhaps rigging lines, are noted in the white paint on the decoy’s body and suggest that the piece had been used in the field. The painted surfaces are worn and exhibit a slight green-yellow auto fluorescence when examined under a long wave ultraviolet lamp. A tear-drop shaped lead weight is attached to the underside of the decoy with a single flat-headed slotted screw. 
 
The radiographs confirm that the decoy is constructed in a manner generally consistent with Holmes’ described working technique(Engers 2000, 82). The head is carved in a single piece. Yellow and black glass eyes are inserted on either side of the head. Cut nails, about 3 cm. in length, and what may be a lead-containing adhesive attach the head to the body as well as the two pieces of wood that make up the body. The adhesive has a broken appearance and especially evident in the anterior-posterior view image. The body is constructed from two pieces of wood, with the lower base board measuring about 7/8 inches (2 cm.) in thickness. The head and body are riddled with round x-ray opaque objects, most likely bird shot, indicating that the decoy had indeed been used in the field. The maker's stamp, “B. Holmes”, is located under the front bar of the wood base, is clearly evident in the anterior-posterior view, and easily read once the digital image was flipped.

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