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Whistling swan decoy
Whistling swan decoy

Whistling swan decoy

1880–1900
Object PlaceProbably Currituck County, North Carolina
Medium/TechniquePainted wood (cedar)
Dimensions58.1 x 90.8 cm (22 7/8 x 35 3/4 in.)
Credit LineGift of Maxim Karolik
Accession number58.1158
On View
Not on view
ClassificationsSculpture
Collections
Description
Although Karolik initially focused on paintings and drawings, his curatorial partner at the MFA, Henry P. Rossiter, encouraged him to pursue sculptural forms as well, starting with decoys. Inspired by a 1952 article, Rossiter and Karolik enlisted its author, Dr. George Ross Starr, Jr., to help them build an impressive decoy collection. Starr discovered this elegant swan in 1955, on display at the Swan Island Club in Currituck Sound, North Carolina.
ProvenanceAcquired by Maxim Karolik through Dr. George R. Starr, Jr. (Duxbury). Gift of Maxim Karolik to the MFA in 1958.