Grayson Chesser’s red-breasted merganser pair exemplifies the maker’s exceptional eye for form and field-worthy realism, each decoy rendered with streamlined bodies and turned heads that capture the merganser’s distinctive rufous breast and spiky crest. The male and female are confidently scaled and proportioned for effective spread work, with slight head tilts and carved bill treatments that convey alertness and natural posture. Chesser’s signature restrained brushwork suggest both craft and use, appealing to collectors who value working decoys as much as aesthetic presence. These decoys show provenance to Chesser’s Eastern Shore of Virginia tradition. The hen is signed and dated 1996. This pair represent desirable examples for advanced collectors of classic American sporting decoys, each measuring about 17” long.
Grayson Chesser’s red-breasted merganser pair exemplifies the maker’s exceptional eye for form and field-worthy realism, each decoy rendered with streamlined bodies and turned heads that capture the merganser’s distinctive rufous breast and spiky crest. The male and female are confidently scaled and proportioned for effective spread work, with slight head tilts and carved bill treatments that convey alertness and natural posture. Chesser’s signature restrained brushwork suggest both craft and use, appealing to collectors who value working decoys as much as aesthetic presence. These decoys show provenance to Chesser’s Eastern Shore of Virginia tradition. The hen is signed and dated 1996. This pair represent desirable examples for advanced collectors of classic American sporting decoys, each measuring about 17” long.
