Rare Miniature Wood Duck Drake
Jess Blackstone (1909-1988)
Concord, NH, c. 1950
3.5" tall
 
Turned Wood Duck.  Rare separated carved wing tips that are also raised over the tail.  A finely rasped surface provides excellent texturing and is Blackstone's hallmark feature.  The underside features the species number, name, and the artists classic JB monogram.
 
As an ardent ornithologist, of all miniaturists of his time, Jess focused most on 'life-like' accuracy in paint and form.  His carvings, like this rare Wood Duck, entail superb paint, primary carved details and perfectly rasped lines providing texture to the surface.  The heads were separetely carved from the bodies and applied to allow for different positioning.  It often created visible seams half way up the necks.  The base is a perfectly carved piece of wood, shaped and finished to resemble a rock.  This is Jess' most common form of base design.  Jess focused mostly on songbirds making far less shorebirds and even less ducks / geese. 
 
He spent his youth up until his passing studying and sketching birds.  Even during his time in the military during WWII, Jess still found time to carve and study different species in Germany.  His most notable overseas carving is his published double sided Wagtail that he carved while serving in 1945.
 
Condition:  Near mint