Fooling Ducks with Folk Art
Many Nova Scotia settlers depended on waterfowl hunting to help put food on the table. Wooden decoys were used to trick the birds into coming closer. Some were purely functional, carved out in a hurry to get the job done. But other decoy makers took great pride and pleasure in their work. This example, attributed to Clifford Bezanson of Lunenburg County, is considered to be one of the very finest in our collection. Imagine the time and effort that went into painting all those feathers. Identified as a Greater Scaup, this decoy could fool any bird – and maybe even some people?
Object type:
duck decoy
Object #:
68.75.3a
Collection name:
Curator:
Date (age/made):
1930-1949
Origin/place:
Lunenburg, NS
Materials:
wood