Summer 2017

2017 Antiques & Fine Art 55 Many consider the Charles E. “Shang” Wheeler (1872–1949) Canada goose to be not only the most famous decoy by Wheeler but also one of the most important Connecticut decoys known to exist. The ruddy duck by Lee Dudley (1860–1942) of North Carolina is one of the finest southern decoys known to exist. Additionally, the Dust Jacket Plover by famed Massachusetts carver A. Elmer Crowell (1862–1952) is the exact carving pictured on the cover of the seminal publication American Bird Decoys by William J. Mackey, Jr. O’Brien’s impressive collection of paintings and prints includes masterworks by Frank W. Benson (1862–1951), Ogden Pleissner (1905– 1983), A i den L a s s e l l R iple y (1896–1969), Roland Clark (1874– 1957), and A.F. Tait (1819–1905). The collection also houses some of the finest J.J. Audubon (1785–1851) engravings, including the Virginian Partridge and Canvas-backed Duck , among others. Highlighting the fine art in the collection is Pleissner’s The Run Downstream , a prize oil by the noted sporting artist. Aside from Blue Boat on the St. Anne , an atmospheric oil painting in the collec- tion of the Shelburne Museum in Vermont, The Run Downstream is among the artist’s most important salmon fishing works. O’Brien was good friends with Ogden Pleissner, who would stop and see O’Brien on his way to New York galleries, giving the collector the opportunity to acquire some of the artist’s best works before they hit the broader market. Sessions I and II of the Donal C. O’Brien, Jr. Collection of Important American Sporting Art and Decoys, consisting of approximately 200 lots, will take place at Hotel 1620 in Plymouth, MA on July 27, in con- junction with Copley’s Sporting Sale, which will be held on July 28. A full- color hardbound collector’s edition catalogue will be available. Online bidding will be available through Copley’s industry-leading app, CopleyLive,, and through Bidsquare. Copley Fine Art Auctions is the world’s leading American sporting art auction company. Located south of Boston in Hingham, MA, Copley specializes in antique decoys and 19th- and 20th-century American, sporting, and wildlife paintings. Aiden Lassell Ripley (1896–1969), Grouse on a Hard Pine. Oil on canvas, 27 by 40 inches. Estimate: $30,000-$50,000. Arthur Burdett Frost (1851–1928), Bay Snipe Shooting, 1900. Watercolor, 16½ by 25¼ inches. Estimate: $30,000-$50,000. Pictured in Harper’s Weekly.