MERGANSERAMERICAN SCHOOL, CIRCA 1900 | MerganserAmerican School, circa 1900

Ruth Troiani, Beautiful Antiques, Avon, Connecticut.

Tom Geismar and Harvey Kahn, Spiritually Moving:  A Collection of American Folk Art Sculpture (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1998) cat. no. 50, illus. in color.

Surface wear and oxidation consistent with age and use.
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.

Red-breasted mergansers are diving ducks equally at home in fresh, brackish, and salt water, that were sought by gunners from the Canadian Maritimes to the Carolinas during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Males and females both have long, thin, serrated bills that they used to keep hold of slippery small fish, which are their main food source, and their flesh often reflected their preferred diet. By repute, the present example comes from a hunting lodge on Dews Island, North Carolina.