Early Eider Hen by Augustus Aaron "Gus" Wilson

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Early Eider Hen By Augustus Aaron “Gus” Wilson

By James David Brodell, M.D.

Augustus Aaron “Gus” Wilson (1864 - 1950) is, arguably, the most innovative of the old- school American decoy makers. His materials were rough and methods primitive, but the results were sleek and stylish. Undoubtedly rendered more subconsciously than anything else, his “secret” was the sophisticated use of line as an important shaping device ... the shaping of not only the form of the wooden sculpture, but also the shaping of the viewer’s emotional response.
	The artistic use of line has huge emotional consequences. In fact, the thickness, value and direction of any given line, based on common life experiences, have intrinsic psychological meaning.
For example, the eye is attracted to a thick dark line as opposed to a thin light line. Consistent with the laws of gravity, vertically-oriented lines suggest strength and power, whereas horizontally-oriented lines give the feeling of rest, and repose. Imparting the sensation of animation or movement, a diagonal line is a mobile line. To promote viewing of an entire piece in an ordered fashion, an artist may also use line to provide an implied path by which the viewer is led from place-to-place.
The overwhelming majority of American antique decoys, even those classified as folk art at least in part because of their curvy forms, are vertically and horizontally designed, thus giving them a stiff, lifeless feel. Generally, their makers, hoping to attract ducks rather than discerning art patrons, made no attempt to simulate movement in nature.
Into this modern conundrum, attempting to decipher exactly what an antique carving was meant to catch - bird or human art collector, comes Gus Wilson and his early, little-known Eider hen masterpiece.
	In this remarkably unique decoy, the preening hen has her head and neck rotated slightly more than 90 degrees to the side and downwards rather than the also rare, but more traditionally carved 180 degree back preener. More significantly, Wilson tilts the head from the vertical which imparts an amazing lifelike sense of movement. The viewer, from virtually any vantage point, can almost sense the bird actively grooming her feathers.
In addition, the Eider’s bill is carved in an elevated position and is darkened with a deeper tone of brown paint so as to function as an eye-catcher. The gradually thinner descent of the bill, then, leads the eye from the head to the raised wing primaries for an assessment of the bird’s body contour. In turn, the tapering of the wing guides observation to the tail so as to complete the “tour” of the bird. The raised tail acts as a “stopper” to prevent the viewer from falling off the end of the decoy, thereby redirecting and returning attention to the body and head.
Bearing in mind Wilson almost certainly had no concept that anyone other than a hunter or a duck would respond to anything other than the functionality of this decoy, one might opine too much is being made of this Eider’s sculptural form and its artistic significance. Many astonishingly gifted artists, though lacking formal education, knowledge or complex planning, are capable of rendering uniquely designed, imaginative works of fundamentally sound composition.
In fact, Gus Wilson was famous for drawing loosely sketched paper patterns which were readily damaged, lost or purposefully destroyed. Thus, over the years, these patterns, or guides to the initial rough chopping and carving, were in a constant process of revision and renewal leading to the emergence of periods with different styles. Regardless, Wilson’s decoys always maintained a special elegant grace, spirit and uncanny feeling of movement. (1)
	This decoy, then, showing sophisticated use of line giving rise to form, lifelike posturing and artist-directed viewing, is an outstanding example of Wilson at the height of his powers. The monochromatic coloring, now visualized as bone dry original brown paint with no light-dark shading, and the complete absence of any detailing, abstract or realistic, accentuates his primary mission: bringing a form to life by emphasizing the essential behavioral characteristics of the species. To accomplish this goal of simulating natural in-the-water movement, Wilson was especially well-suited.
The Common Eider (Somateria mollissima) is a large, bulky sea-duck which has an unusual wedge-shaped bill. The male, with uniquely distributed, geographic black and white body plumage, has a green nape. Even though the female is a uniformly brown bird, it can be readily distinguished from all ducks by its immense size and characteristic head shape. Breeding in cold temperate regions, the Eider is distributed over the northern coasts of Europe, North America and eastern Siberia.
Wilson’s earliest period, 1880 - 1920, was the time in which we find his best workmanship and his most compelling, imaginative forms. These initial birds, crafted at a time when Wilson was younger, more adventuresome, willing to take chances and less concerned about the commercial side (including production quantity), were larger, broader, more massive and distinctly primitive. (2)
Generally, Gus Wilson’s decoys of all periods have flat, unpainted bottoms, carved oval eyes, inletted necks and raised, carved wings emerging at the shoulders and becoming more defined near the tail. For requisite stability to ride the rolling ocean waves, as well as to be seen by migrating flocks, Wilson’s sea-duck decoys, like those of his carving colleagues, were larger and heavier than his inland lures.
Not surprisingly, many of Wilson’s early decoys were designed and crafted during his employment at Marshall’s Point Light House. On Maine’s mid-coast near Monhegan Island, great numbers of carved birds have been attributed to Wilson. Many of them, unsigned by the Master, are simply called Monhegan sea-duck decoys.
“Gus Wilson looked at waterfowl much the way the Ward brothers did. There was a similarity in their ability to capture an unusual pose, and to produce a decoy that continues to enthrall even seasoned gunners who have spent their lives observing waterfowl....Rigs keep turning up, some of which are still being used to gun over, but as is true of most of the great carvers, no identifying mark or signature is required. Once you have handled a Wilson decoy, you will never have difficulty identifying another.” (3)
(1) Kangas, Gene and Linda, Decoys - A North American Survey, Hillcrest Publications, Spanish Fork, Utah, 1983, pgs. 101 - 102. (2) Delph, Shirley and John, New England Decoys, Schiffer Publishing, Exton, Pennsylvania, page 24. (3) Dinan, John, Chapter 1 -Maine, The Great Book of Waterfowl Decoys, Editor Joe Engers, Cynthia Parzych Publishing, 1990, pgs. 36 - 41. All photographs courtesy of Russ Goldberger/RJG Antiques A collector of contemporary and antique decoys, James David Brodell, M.D., is a curator for, and sits on the Board of, The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio.