HUDSONIAN CURLEW (WHIMBREL)THOMAS GELSTON(1851-1923) | Hudsonian Curlew (Whimbrel)Thomas Gelston(1851-1923)

having raised wing detail

Bud Ward, Oceanside, New York;
Steve Miller, American Folk Art, New York.

William J. Mackey, Jr., American Bird Decoys, (Exton, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 1965) pp. 98-99, pl. 2;
Robert Bishop, American Folk Sculpture, (E.P. Dutton, New York, 1974) pl. 558, p. 301;
Tom Geismar and Harvey Kahn, Spiritually Moving:  A Collection of American Folk Art Sculpture (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1998) cat. no. 46, illus. in color.

Wear and some losses to paint with touchup, consistent with age and use. IMPORTANT NOTICE: Purchasers may pay for and pick up their purchases from any of our Americana Week sales taking place from January 17-20, 2019, at our York Avenue headquarters until the close of business on Sunday, January 20, 2019. After this time, all property (sold and unsold) will be transferred to our offsite facility, Crozier Fine Art, One Star Ledger Plaza, 69 Court Street, Newark, New Jersey 07102. Once property has been transferred from our York Avenue location, it will not be available for collection at Crozier Fine Arts until Friday, January 25, 2019. Crozier's hours of operation for collection are from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday-Friday. Please note, certain items of property, including but not limited to jewelry, watches, silver and works on panel will remain at 1334 York Avenue. Invoices and statements will indicate your property's location. For more information regarding collection from our offsite facility, please visit sothebys.com/pickup.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Thomas Gelston was a sportsman who carved decoys of a number of duck and shorebird species. His elegant long-billed and Hudsonian curlews are the most sought-after pieces of his work today. The Hudsonian curlew, or whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus), is the most common American curlew species, a big plump-breasted bird that was prized by nineteenth and early twentieth-century market hunters, restauranteurs, and diners. American whimbrels are long-distance migrators that breed in the Arctic and winter in South America, sometimes covering as much as 2,500 miles in a single, nonstop flight.