Harry V. Shourds Black Duck Decoy

This is an early Harry V. Shourds 'hollow' handcarved decoy. This old timer was a working gunner in its day and shows its assorted minor battle damage with honor. Age is approximately 1880 - 1920. There are 3 generations of Harry V. Shourds, this carving was done by Harry Vinuckson Shourds (1861 - 1920).

His painting style consisted of overpainting the entire decoy, then scratching wing and feather detail into the paint, then adding some color highlights with a brush. Most of the original highlight paint is long gone, however, a tiny bit remains at the wing tips.

The seam separating the two halves is very pronounced and the nailing pattern is easily visible. Has tack eyes. I believe these were added by a previous owner. The symetry is excellent and the form is smooth and flowing. The bill has some relief carving detail typical of early Shourd Blacks. This one measures 16-1/4" tip to tip.

There are a few pellet marks on both sides and a minor gouge or two, but these lend to the overall patina which is soft and "right".  No significant damage, no checks or cracks.

The head is attached by a dowel and reinforced with a couple of finish nails. I originally thought the nails might have been added by a previous owner, however, my research indicates the nails are original.

Click here for some additional info on the carver.

What appears to be a brass weight is inlaid into the bottom. This puzzled me for awhile, but in my research, I discovered he used this style on his other decoys.