SOLD DECOYS

Long tailed Greater Yellowlegs.  Early Lower Chesapeake Folk style preening type.  Real nice patina and ageing on this one.  Tack eye and rough sawn African Mahogany base.  Raised wings. I can just imagine some old shorebird hunter before 1918 turning this decoy into a nor'easter cold wind and waiting for some shorebirds to come in to his rig off the Atlantic. If you want just another pretty painted shorebird that looks like a thousand others, don't buy this one.  SOLD

Ward "Bishops Head Club" Humpback Pintail (circa late 1920's) This exact reproduction decoy has exacting Ward stage 2 stipple paint on the body with scratch feather painting on the wing areas.  The head is a semi snuggle head with the correct Ward animation of a youthful bird so hard to capture in a reproduction Ward decoy.  Ageing is beyond reproach with a working gunning look but not overly worn.  Very long tail per original gives decoy block an overall length of 21 1/2 inches.  The original Bishops head club decoys are rare and highly valued going at auction for well over $100,000 as they were carved by the Wards for the exclusive gunning club on Maryland's Easter shore. SOLD

Barrier Island Hollow Swimming  Root Head Atlantic Brant.  This Brant style hails from the Chesapeake Barrier Islands at the mouth of Chesapeake bay.  Cobb Island influences can be seen in the overall conformation.  What really sets this decoy apart is the unique body language as the whole decoy follows curves and lines of a real swimming bird.  Not only is the body curved but every part of the body and head are slanted into real lifelike conformation of form.  The beauty of this cannot be readily detected in the photos.  The weathering, ageing and paint of this bird is truly superb.  The patina rivals the finest real patinas of the finest original decoys.  The inquisitive nature of the decoys head follows the spirit of impressionism as evidenced by early Ward decoys.  Very lightweight for it's size.  Many decoys of the barrier islands after the Civil war era were made from wood from the many ship wrecks off the middle East coast.  In keeping with that idea and the fact that some returning slave ships carried partial loads of African Mahogany, the bottom of the decoy uses this wood in its construction.  SOLD  My Decoy Carving Philosophy

Blair school sleeping but alert root head Pintail by Mike Robinson.  Unique one of a kind piece with root head and superb aged and stressed gunning look.  All hand cut and chopped.  Finest materials and paints used in construction.  In this decoy body I explore the connection between the Holly and Blair school of decoy design as some believe there was a direct connection between the two and after carving both schools I feel there is one also.  Root head is naturally curved and has a twist that gives a very lifelike appearance. Exceptional folk art look.  Head pinned to body.  Decoy Exhibits areas of subtle fine scratch paint. SOLD

Early Lower Chesapeake Barrier Island Root neck preening shorebird by Mike Robinson.  Stunning Folk art piece with wood grain (not sanded)  fluted and twisted root neck and pine head.  Raised wing carving.  Head and neck pinned to body.  Very realistically weathered and antiqued. Shot holes. Comes with stand. Captures a very early style of pioneer Barrier Islands gunning shorebird decoy.  SOLD

Voluptuous stylized Root neck turned body Brant.  This piece has a driftwood root neck in a reaching position.  The body, wings and tail are tilted to the same side of the neck for realism as a real bird would exhibit when the skeleton and muscles change conformation.  The beautiful twisted neck appears to have ruffled feathers.  Raised divided wings with pinch breast.  Bill has mandible cut and teeth.  Great layered blended paint that has depth and style. No carving on neck except for the bill and eye socket.  All hand cut and chopped block. by Mike Robinson (Chesapeake Wings Decoys) SOLD

Ira Hudson school reproduction highhead Pintail by Mike Robinson.  Extra fancy style like Ira had on display at various hardware stores on the Eastern shore back in the 30's.  In keeping with the display idea this decoy does not have any gunning wear, just enough to give it an aged handled look.  Hudson high heads were very rare and some collectors say there were none.  Always interested in the rare and exotic I thought it would be cool to see how one might have looked.  Has Hudson scratch paint on back, wing speculum and tail as close to original paint scheme as possible. and very exact contoured body.  Forward swept white stripe gives the decoy that Hudson angry look that Ira was known for. Has glass eye instead of common Hudson tack eye in keeping with the metrics of an "extra fancy style" and very long tail.  SOLD

John Blair  hollow swimming Mallard reproduction by Mike Robinson.  Hollow construction has two dowels and tacked side seams per some Blair Mallards and Teal.  Stress and age built into decoy not just on outer layer like most aged reproduction decoys. Slightly longer neck gives the bird that haughty refined  classy look.  A large decoy but lightweight. Has very fine scratch feather painting you have to see to believe.  SOLD

1928 High Head Knot Head Canvasback in the Ward brothers style (replica.) A  later Knot head on the road to the "36" design.  Has a very soft natural patina and paint depth hard to find in a reproduction bird.  This decoy came from a collection of  7 repro Ward divers including Redheads, Bluebills and a high head 1936 model.  By Mike Robinson  SOLD

Swimming Goldeneye drake in the style of the Ward Brothers circa late 1940's.  The worn texture of the Ward type stipple paint technique is superb.  Hand cut and chopped the Old Chesapeake way. Thick swirl and stipple paint aged right.  Finest quality woods and paint used in construction.  Branded and signed by Mike Robinson  SOLD

"HdG Heritage" This decoy is all about the Holly decoy carving school that originated at the "decoy capital of the world" at Havre de Grace, Maryland located on the Susquehanna flats at the head of the Chesapeake bay. This decoy owes it's conception and inspiration to the very few Jim Holly decorative decoys in existence.  Decoy has full face carving of mandible, bill nail, nostrils with refined "snaky" head.  Has some age built into paint. A very graceful and elegant bird. Appears more elongated in real life than what the photography shows. Noted upper-bay collector said original decoy was the finist he ever held in his hands.  SOLD

Upper Chesapeake bay Canvasbacks in the John "Daddy" Holly style by Mike Robinson.  The quintessential original decorative pair of  John Holly decoys can be found in the first page of the Maryland section in The Great Book of Wildfowl decoys.  This replica set is sure to please as it evokes the ambiance  of the Havre de Grace school of Maryland decoy carving as practiced by Daddy Holly.  I don't know of another pair of these anywhere except the real deal. The photography does not convey the realism and beauty of this pair.  The original pair sold for $155,000 at Christies auction house I believe.  Pair is given the right amount of  wear that would have been accumulated by admiring hands over the course of the original decoys lifetime.  All hand chopped the Old Chesapeake way with no power tools used in any way.  SOLD

Quintessential Canvasback by Mike Robinson. (young cocky version of King Can as seen below) This piece has borrowed design features from some of the bays most famous carvers from the Susquehanna to the Barrier Islands but copies none of them !  Obvious ones include Holly/Barnes, Ward etc., see if you can identify others !  Unique and beautiful simplistic form and conformation.  Semi pinch breast, divided raised wings. (follow the form and nature of this decoy and compare the gravity of the years to KING CAN on the right and below, study how the once cocky and proud turk matures into one with the wisdom and maturity of the years)  Has Folk Art look and paint.  All hand cut, chopped and sanded.  SOLD

"King Can"  This bull necked knot head Can is ready to kick sand in the face of lesser species that the waterman of old called "trash ducks".  This old bad boy is all about the legendary "Night feeding Cans" of the Susquehanna that avoided the Sinkbox gunners during the day.  They were said to be large, old and wary with feet the size of a waterman's weathered hand, and this one is putting on speed with tail down as fast a he can to avoid danger.  Because of over hunting, loss of habitat, good winter feed  and loss of centuries old genetic pool, these large Canvasbacks may never be seen again on the Chesapeake.  Decoy is stippled, scratch paint made to look old with some ageing, just enough to look antique but not worn.   A large very solid block with unique form and structure.  Detailed carved primary and secondary wing patterns.  Fantastic folk art appeal. Decoy is cut and Hand Chopped the Old CHESAPEAKE way with no power tools used in any way in construction. Truly one of a kind !  By Mike Robinson  SOLD 

Slightly embellished rendition of Cobb Island Robin Snipe.  A little more voluptuous humpy back curve, a few shot scars and a refined tail and you can almost smell the salt spray from a hundred years ago.  Classic marine iron oxide paint primer with lampblack admixture of house paint, acrylic and oil paint give this lil dude a great folk look. Aged the right way. Has embedded shot for eyes. Stick and base can be ordered raw or stained/painted  SOLD

"Lower Bay Folkie"  Made to look like an old Folk Art Canvasback decoy possibly from the Barrier Islands at the mouth of the Chesapeake.  Turned head and attached wing. Looks 130 years old without being aged.  Age build in to decoy not just on the surface like most antiqued decoys. Stippled back. Very old style heavy Humpback Preener.  Hand cut and chopped by Mike Robinson.  SOLD