Carved and Polychromed Killdeer by Pat Gardner, Nantucket, 1973

Carved and Polychromed Killdeer by Pat Gardner, Nantucket, 1973, a carved wooden alert shorebird with delicately painted plumage, glass eyes and wire legs, mounted on an ebonized domed base with painted feet, signed and dated on the belly, and retaining an old Skinner’s Auction sticker on the bottom pf base.

Mary Patricia Gardner was born and lived her whole life on Nantucket. She studied under Frank Swift Chase, Ruth Haviland Sutton and Earl S. Ray, and was influenced by her grandfather Wallace Gardner, who was a trained sculptor. She became a member of the Artists Association of Nantucket in 1947. She was best known for her shorebird carvings, but also worked in watercolor and printmaking. She is viewed as one of the greater talents of her generation on Nantucket. Her work is highly sought after but only rarely appears on the market.

This bird is from the personal collection of the late Nantucket antiques dealer Howard B. Chadwick, Jr.

Measures: 5- /4 in H x 11 in L x 3-1/2 in W
Overall: 10-1/4 in H x 11 in L x 4-3/8 in W overall