Classic Maine Eider Drake Decoy, circa 1920s
Located in Nantucket, MA
Classic antique Maine Eider Drake Decoy, circa 1920s, with head tucked back in contented posture
Category
Vintage 1920s American Folk Art Decoys
Materials
Wood
Maine Decoy
Gus Wilson Turned Head Black Duck Decoy, South Portland Maine, circa 1930s
$3,800
H 6.5 in W 16 in D 6 in
Gus Wilson Turned Head Black Duck Decoy, South Portland Maine, circa 1930s
Located in Nantucket, MA
Classic Gus Wilson Turned Head Black Duck Decoy, South Portland Maine, circa 1930s, beautiful rough
Category
Vintage 1930s American Folk Art Decoys
Materials
Wood
Recent Sales
Flying Mallard Hen Decoy Attributed to Gus Wilson
By Gus Wilson
Located in New Hope, PA
-1950) of South Portland, Maine. This decoy was made to be hung as a decorative carving. Gus Wilson
Category
Vintage 1930s American Folk Art Decoys
Materials
Wood
Red Breasted Merganser Decoy, circa 1960s
Located in Nantucket, MA
Maine decoy artist Gus Wilson - those slight little touches give the duck a lot of personality and
Category
Vintage 1960s Canadian Folk Art Decoys
Materials
Pine
19THC ORIGINAL BLACK PAINT DECOY DUCK FROM MAINE
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19THC DECOY DUCK WITH ORIGINAL BLACK PAINT FROM MAINE. GREAT ORIGINAL SURFACE.
Category
Antique 19th Century American Folk Art Decoys
Materials
Wood
19th C. Decoy original black paint from Maine
Located in Los Angeles, CA
19th C. Decoy original black paint from Maine, great condition
Category
Antique 19th Century American Animal Sculptures
Materials
Wood
Charming Very Large Folk Art Decoy
Located in Hopewell, NJ
A supersized hand carved and painted Folk Art duck decoy from Maine.
Category
Vintage 1950s American Folk Art Animal Sculptures
Materials
Wood
American Folk Art Peacocks in Tree Sculpture Signed by NJ decoy carver Ken Kirby
Sold
H 23.5 in W 17 in D 9 in
American Folk Art Peacocks in Tree Sculpture Signed by NJ decoy carver Ken Kirby
Located in Forney, TX
and New Jersey, later in Maine. Ken Kirby Decoy Classics was born. In his early years, he discovered a
Category
Late 20th Century American Folk Art Sculptures and Carvings
Materials
Twig, Wood, Paint
Gus Wilson Turned Head Black Duck Decoy, Maine, circa 1930s
By Gus Wilson
Located in Nantucket, MA
Classic Gus Wilson Turned Head Black Duck Decoy, South Portland Maine, circa 1930s, beautiful rough
Category
Vintage 1930s American Folk Art Decoys
Materials
Pine
New England Half-Sized Goose Decoy, circa 1900
Located in Nantucket, MA
North Shore of Massachusetts or the Southern Coast of Maine, a well made working decoy hand carved from
Category
Antique Early 1900s American Folk Art Decoys
Materials
Pine
Eider Decoy
Located in New York, NY
Early Maine decoy with original graphic paint.
Category
Antique 19th Century American Decoys
Materials
Wood, Paint
People Also Browsed
East Coast Swan Decoy
Located in Coeur d'Alene, ID
Decorative swan decoy with carved feathers and glass eyes. Paint sanded in a way to slightly reveal wood underneath. Neck is long and delicate with unpainted details around eyes and ...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Decoys
Materials
Wood, Paint
Hen Merganser Hunting Decoy attributed to John Dawson Folk Art, Americana
$9,600Sale Price|61% Off
H 5.91 in W 17.13 in D 5.52 in
Hen Merganser Hunting Decoy attributed to John Dawson Folk Art, Americana
By John Dawson
Located in Buenos Aires, Olivos
Carved and polychromed wood; retains original painted surface. Glass Eyes. Attributed to John Dawson, Trenton, New Jersey, 1900-1925. Dawson worked as a kiln operator at the Scammel ...
Category
Early 20th Century American Art Nouveau Decoys
Materials
Wood
Life Size Swan Decoy
Located in Coeur d'Alene, ID
Swan decoy from Havre de Grace, Maryland. Original paint. Period: Mid-20th century Origin: Maine, United States Size: 32” x 10” x 17’ Family Owned & Operated Cisco’s Gallery deals ...
Category
Mid-20th Century American Animal Sculptures
Materials
Wood
Pair of Early 20th Century American Eider Duck Decoys
Located in Chicago, IL
A special and whimsical pair of early 20th century American hands-carved wood Eider Duck decoys with black and white painted bodies and eyes.
Category
Vintage 1920s American Country Decoys
Materials
Wood
20th Century Sleeping Canada Goose Decoy
Located in Chicago, IL
A beautiful 20th century American life-size sleeping Canada Goose decoy with its original paint, a removable head and neck, and glass eyes, on a custom steel mount.
Category
20th Century American Country Decoys
Materials
Wood
19th Century Working Shorebird Decoy
Located in Pease pottage, West Sussex
Wonderfully sculptural working shorebird decoy, found in original paint. Most likely a replacement beak. Later bespoke made stand, France, circa 1880.
Category
Antique Late 19th Century French Decoys
Materials
Wood
Pair of Vintage Swedish Wooden Decoy Ducks with Original Paint
$576 / set
H 3.75 in W 9.85 in D 4.34 in
Pair of Vintage Swedish Wooden Decoy Ducks with Original Paint
Located in Kastrup, DK
Pair of Swedish vintage wooden decoy ducks crafted from pine, featuring its original black, light gray and brown paint. Natural wear and a beautiful age-related patina, adding to th...
Category
Early 20th Century Swedish Folk Art Decoys
Materials
Wood
Pair Of Early 20th Century Folk Art Decoy Ducks
Located in Hastings, GB
Great pair of circa 1910-1920 folk art decoy ducks, hand crafted in cork and wood, each with an old iron bracket to the base, probably used to pull them along in the water. Each of t...
Category
Vintage 1910s English Folk Art Decoys
Materials
Wood, Cork
Early 20th Century Feeding Goose Decoy
Located in Coeur d'Alene, ID
Carved and painted Canadian goose decoy. Well painted head and under body. Back unpainted. Hunter used. Natural wood grain looks like wings and feathers. Period: Early 20th century ...
Category
Early 20th Century American Decoys
Materials
Wood
Martha's Vineyard Baldpate Drake Decoy, circa 1900
Located in Nantucket, MA
Antique Martha's Vineyard Baldpate Drake Decoy, circa 1900, a hand carved and hand painted gunning decoy by an unknown maker on Martha's Vineyard of an American Wigeon in colorful or...
Category
Antique Early 1900s American Folk Art Decoys
Materials
Wood
19th Century Sailor's Woolie with Ship at Anchor Within Oval Cartouche, ca 1850
$4,800
H 21.13 in W 26.13 in D 1.25 in
19th Century Sailor's Woolie with Ship at Anchor Within Oval Cartouche, ca 1850
Located in Nantucket, MA
19th Century Sailor's Folk Art Woolie with Ship at Anchor Within Oval Cartouche, ca 1850, depicting a square-rigged single decker warship under furled sails, anchor chain leading off...
Category
Antique Mid-19th Century English Folk Art Nautical Objects
Materials
Wool
Early 20th Century Hand Painted Duck Decoy Antique, USA owned by Bob Tillbutt
$1,136Sale Price|20% Off
H 4.63 in W 12 in D 3.75 in
Early 20th Century Hand Painted Duck Decoy Antique, USA owned by Bob Tillbutt
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Found in Germany at an estate sale, this hand carved and hand painted duck decoy is perfect for the collector. Well used by a previous hunter the paint has faded through time althoug...
Category
Early 20th Century American Folk Art Decoys
Materials
Wood, Paint
Monumental 19th Century Hand Painted Duck Decoy Antique Austria Decoration Item
$1,100
H 8.75 in W 22.25 in D 8.25 in
Monumental 19th Century Hand Painted Duck Decoy Antique Austria Decoration Item
Located in Nuernberg, DE
Found in Vienna Austria at an estate sale, this hand carved and hand painted duck decoy is perfect for the collector or just as decoration item. Very good condition, made of wood and...
Category
Antique Late 19th Century German Folk Art Decoys
Materials
Wood, Paint
Elmer Crowell Quarter Sized Canada Goose Decoy, circa 1930s
Located in Nantucket, MA
Antique Quarter Sized Canada Goose Decoy, by J.Elmer Crowell, East Harwich, MA (1862 - 1952), circa 1928 - 1943, a hand carved and painted diminutive Canada Goose goose decoy signed ...
Category
Vintage 1930s American Folk Art Decoys
Materials
Cedar
Life Size Swan Decoy by Reggie Birch
Located in Coeur d'Alene, ID
Full size whistling swan decoy by Reggie Birch, Chincoteague, Virginia. "R. Birch" carved in underside. A large railroad spike is attached as a balise. Two oak boards have been glued...
Category
Late 20th Century American Animal Sculptures
Materials
Wood
Chesapeake Bay Scaup Drake Sink Box Wing Decoy, circa 1940
Located in Nantucket, MA
Early Chesapeake Bay Scaup Drake Sink Box Wing Decoy, circa 1940, a very shallow flat bodied decoy in original condition, original black and white paint on head and body, and painted...
Category
Vintage 1940s American Folk Art Decoys
Materials
Wood
Get Updated with New Arrivals
Save "Maine Decoy", and we’ll notify you when there are new listings in this category.
A Close Look at Folk-art Furniture
Folk art is a genre of art that shares the creator’s traditions, offering not just an artistic display but an opportunity to learn about a culture. Antique, new and vintage folk art typically reflects a heritage or location. It can include utilitarian objects and handmade art as diverse as weather vanes, duck decoys, portraiture and paintings, carnival art and quilts.
Quilts are a quintessential part of American folk art but their roots are international, with quilting dating back to Ancient Egypt. The practice spread to Europe and was especially prominent in the Middle Ages, with one of the oldest surviving examples being the Tristan quilt made in Sicily in the 14th century. They were made as bedcovers and clothing, including as a layer for knights to wear beneath their armor. Native American folk art includes functional objects reflecting their heritage, such as baskets, textiles and wooden pieces.
Elsewhere, the vast range of work associated with Mexican folk art includes masks made by Mexican craftspeople for traditional celebrations and ceremonial dances. Mexican masks are part of the country’s folk-art traditions that go back thousands of years and play a role in festivals and theater.
Works in the folk art tradition are valuable because of the skills involved, like weaving, hand-carving wood and even stonework. Many folk artists are self-taught, while some train as apprentices within their community. By using available materials and taking a personal approach to their creations, artists ensure each piece is unique and conveys a story.
During the Great Depression, artistic materials in America were hard to come by, so artisans used discarded wood from cigar boxes and shipping crates to make highly stylized, notched pieces — most often picture frames and boxes — that are today sought after by collectors. This folk art style is called tramp art and was popular from roughly 1870 until the 1940s.
Folk art brings vibrant culture and traditions into your home. Browse an extensive collection of antique, new and vintage folk art on 1stDibs.
Finding the Right Decoys for You
Vintage, new and antique decoys have become fashionable decor in modern homes.
The history of decoy ducks, shorebirds, geese and other waterfowl as part of the folk art tradition stretches back thousands of years. Tule duck decoys made between 400 B.C. and 100 A.D. by Indigenous people for use in hunting have been found in Nevada that are similar to decoys still in use today.
Waterfowl decoys are now often made of plastic and foam, but vintage duck decoys from the mid-19th to early 20th century were frequently made of wood. Canvas duck decoys were popularized from the 1920s to ’40s as a lightweight alternative. These folk art pieces feature hand-painted feathers and long, flat bodies, lending themselves well to display in living rooms on shelves and in cabinets.
One of the fascinating aspects of handcrafted waterfowl decoys is their regional variation to match the local birds. For example, German decoys are regularly decorated with green and gray paints, making them look like mallard ducks. Scandinavian decoys are typically black and white, resembling the common eider.
Either option could be a rustic treasure for one’s home, adding a touch of eclectic art to any room. Browse antique, new and vintage decoys on 1stDibs today.