Early and Rare Blackburnian Warbler
Jess Blackstone (1909-1988)
Concord, NH, c. 1940's
4"
 
We've been fortunate to offer some of the best Jess Blackstones around from minty upland birds and rare geese to ducks and some of his earliest and most microscopic works.  However we have yet to offer a Jess Blackstone songbird with a reaching and turned head.  They are surely rare with few being known.  
 
Author, Joseph Ellis, writes of this rare feature in his must have book "Birds in Wood and Paint" when regarding his own prized turned head bird, "The black-throated green warbler in figure 14.21 is unusual for its turned head, a rare departure from Blackstone's typical straight-ahead pose."  Interestingly both these examples are carved in the exact same style and pose.
 
This example is beautfully carved showing Jess's firm grasp not only on his ability to paint plumage but his awareness of the natural posture of these birds and his ability to recreate it exactly.  Icing on the cake are the thinly carved dropped wings, always a much more rare and sought after touch.  The tail is raised and fanned and the paint is vibrant.  The surface bears the classic finely carved lengthwise rasp lines that Jess used to impart texture to the surface.
 
It's an early example, numbered 41, from records we know Jess made his #1 Blackburnian Warbler in 1941.  This is a hard to find species.  It's believed that Jess made less than 100 of them.
 
Condition:  Very good original condition with minimal wear.
 
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