Rare Mallard Hen
Thomas J. Fitzpatrick (1887-1958)
Delanco, NJ, c. 1940-50
16"
 
A rare species for the maker and a rare raised head style with a crisp dry surface. It's in a later, more evolved body style, lending to its thinner flatbottomed profile. As stated in 'Floating Sculpture' by Huster & Knight, as Tom progressed through his carving career, he was constantly in search for a better decoy.
 
'..the later ones are flatbottomed and narrower. They were made flatbottomed because people who were buying his birds said the flatbottomed ones rode better.'
 
Working with feedback from his customers and personal use, he moved from his earliest round bottom decoys to a flatter bottom decoy. This assisted in controlling the unnatural rocking appearance. Eventually he found that by thining out the height of the body, he was able to achieve near perfect immitation. In a way, this Mallard is an example of his most evolved craft. Tom didn't make many decoys with raised heads. Unfortunately, and most commonly in later years, his high head decoys were undersized for the bodies they were mounted on. Most commonly referred to as "pinheads".
 
The decoy otherwise carries all of Fitzpatricks standard features, a simple, grooved, 'V' wing tip, fluted tail feathering, a hollow body, simple yet capitvating paint, and a narrowed top head. All with an old leather thong, lead pad weight, with shoe button eyes.
 
Condition: Very good original condition displaying minimal gunning and age wear to include slight age separation at the seam and paint rubbed to bare wood on the bill tip. Rubbed paint on tail tips.
 
Provenance:
Bob White Collection
Bruce Williams Collection
Private Collection Philadelphia