Its For The Birds

Copley's Steve O'Brien with the Elmer Crowell Canada goose from the Harry Long collection that sold for $661,250.

Art and Antiques Online:Six Decoys Sell For $1.8 Million At Copley Fine Art Auctions
Aug 4th, 2009
By
David S. Smith
The second stop on the annual series of New England decoy auctions featured a stellar selection of decoys and select sporting artwork offered by Steve and Cinnie O'Brien and their firm, Copley Fine Arts Auctions. Opening on Tuesday evening for a special preview party, the auction took place Wednesday and Thursday, July 15 and 16.

After two action-packed days of decoy auctions on the Cape, the large crowds of collectors and dealers migrated north with a sense of great anticipation. Copley had secured the consignment for a group of exquisite Elmer Crowell decoys that had been assembled at the turn of the Twentieth Century by avid sportsman and philanthropist Harry V. Long.

Close to 700 lots were offered during the two-day auction, with the first day focusing on decoys, while day two served up a stellar selection of sporting art by masters such as Ogden Pleissner, Aiden Lassell Ripley, Frank Benson, Edmund Osthaus and Lynn Bogue Hunt. The auction grossed an impressive $4,158,929; even more impressive is the fact that $1.8 million of that total came from the six of the seven Crowell decoys from the Long collection.


The crowd waited with anticipation for the Elmer Crowell carved preening pintail from the Harry Long collection to be sold. The lot opened at $275,000, with it selling moments later to a buyer in the rear of the room for $546,250.

Here is the full story.