Vintage Hand-Carved Wooden Decoy Duck – Folk Art Mallard with Original Paintwork
£450.00
Description
A thoroughly charming mid-20th-century vintage hand-carved wooden decoy duck, boasting incredible folk-art appeal and a richly weathered aesthetic. As shown in the reference file "33 (1).jpg", this mallard or teal decoy features an wonderfully expressive, sculpted form with a nicely defined bill and inset glass or tack eyes.
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International delivery is estimated at 5-7 working days.
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Vintage Hand-Carved Wooden Decoy Duck – Folk Art Mallard with Original Paintwork
A thoroughly charming mid-20th-century vintage hand-carved wooden decoy duck, boasting incredible folk-art appeal and a richly weathered aesthetic. This mallard or teal decoy features an wonderfully expressive, sculpted form with a nicely defined bill and inset glass or tack eyes.
The standout feature of this piece is its lovely original paintwork, which has mellowed over the decades into a soft, highly textured patina. The head retains its deep, atmospheric forest green tones, while the body showcases beautiful hand-painted plumage details and layered earthy tones that display decades of authentic handling and age.
Full of honest, rustic character, this piece has clearly lived a functional life before transitioning into a decorative object. Its tactile quality and timeless silhouette make it an exceptional addition to a modern country kitchen, a rustic mantlepiece, a bookshelf, or a deep window sill.
Hand-carved from a single block of softwood, showing wonderful grain texture, historic tool marks, and weathering from field use.
Hand-painted polychrome pigments with an untouched, naturally aged surface patina.
Likely United Kingdom
Traditional Folk Art / Country House Aesthetic.
Mid-20th Century (circa 1930–1950).
Originally crafted as functional sporting tools designed to lure wildfowl, hand-carved wooden decoys have transitioned into highly collectible pieces of vernacular folk art. Pieces from the early-to-mid-20th century are particularly celebrated for their utilitarian beauty and individual artistic quirks. Today, high-end interior designers frequently use these weathered decoys to introduce warmth, historic texture, and a grounded, organic feel to both contemporary and period home interiors.
Condition Report
This decoy is in good vintage condition, exhibiting the wonderful, honest wear, stable drying splits, and paint loss that collectors of authentic folk art look for.
The head was broken off at some point during its working life and has been historically reattached with a sturdy screw driven through the top of the head into the main body. This rugged, period repair is incredibly secure and adds immense narrative charm and genuine character to the piece.
The original keel guides (the guild) on the underneath have been removed at some stage in its history. This ensures the duck now sits perfectly flat, stable, and proud on any level surface for interior display purposes. "After a long, hard-working life on the water, this hand-carved mallard is now enjoying a well-deserved retirement as a characterful piece of country house folk art."
Measurements
Height: 16 cm / 6.3 inch
Width: 30 cm / 11.8 inch
Weight: 0.6 k.g. / 1.3 lbs
Cleaning, Polishing & Restoration
All our collections have been through our workshop and where possible, we always try to maintain the original finish preserving the patina and colour, some items are sympathetically restored and this is done by our own skilled craftsmen using only traditional methods
