Goings-On

Sporting Art, Decoys, Dogs, and More

Each February, thousands of outdoors enthusiasts land in Charleston, South Carolina, for the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition (February 17–19). The three-day celebration draws exhibitors from around the world for a weekend devoted to all things sporting and conservation. And if you’re a fan of sporting art and collectibles, this year hundreds of paintings, decoys, antiques, and more will be on offer at two separate auctions.

Even if you’re not looking to bid, it’s worth perusing the previews for an up close look at the collections, beginning with the Copley Fine Art Auctions’ Winter Sale on Friday. Among the 450 lots, Southern highlights include ornithological paintings by Charleston naturalist John Henry Dick, a watercolor by Roger Tory Peterson created for the 1949 book South Carolina Bird Life, and decoys and carvings by revered mid-Atlantic Seaboard artists such as Ira Hudson and Noah Sterling. “One of my favorite lots in the sale is a Noah Sterling yellowlegs pair that transcend the art of the decoy,” says Copley’s decoy specialist Colin McNair. On Saturday, the Guyette & Deeter decoy auction brings another 265 lots with an emphasis on Atlantic Coast artists, including a number of works by Maryland’s famed Ward Brothers and a rare full-size swan by Eastern Shore carver Oliver Lawson. Absentee, phone, and online bidding will be available for both auctions.

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Pair of 1/2 size standing mallards by Lem Ward (Guyette & Deeter estimate: $6,500-9,500).

Rare full size swan by Oliver Lawson (Guyette & Deeter estimate: $5,000-7,000)

On Point by Edmund H. Osthaus (Copley estimate: $25,000-35,000)

Pintails, 1916, by Frank W. Benson (Copley estimate: $800-1,000)

Canvasback hen by the Ward Brothers (Guyette & Deeter estimate: $6,500-9,500)

Leaping Sailfish by William Goadby Lawrence (Copley estimate: $4,000-6,000)

Pair of earlier shooting stool model greenwing teal by the Ward Brothers (Guyette & Deeter estimate: $6,500-9,500)

Snow Geese, 1938, by Peter Markham Scott (Copley estimate: $4,000-6,000)

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A Map of Well Known Salt Water Game Fish of North America, 1935, by Richard E. Bishop (Copley estimate: $300-500)

The 2017 Bonefish & Tarpon Trust Artist of the Year painting: Tails by John Swan (Copley estimate: $8,000-12,000)

The Peasant Sportsman, 1911, by Arthur Burdett Frost (Copley estimate: $8,000-12,000)

One Step Pool by New Orleans artist Brett J. Smith (Copley estimate: $3,500-5,500)

The Punter, 1927, by Frank W. Benson (Copley estimate: $1,000-1,400)

tinybirds

Two watercolors: Painted Redstarts and Warblers by John Henry Dick (Copley estimate: $400-600)

The Beaufort Meeting at Frocester, 1904, by George Goodwin Kilburne (Copley estimate: $4,000-6,000)

Greater yellowlegs pair by Noah Bernard Sterling (Copley estimate: $18,000-24,000)

Pair of 1/2 size standing mallards by Lem Ward (Guyette & Deeter estimate: $6,500-9,500).