Stark Black Working Decoy with Marvelously Hooked Old Beak Repair Marlis Schratter vase 5 7/8" tall

5 7/8" tall

which I find simultaneously playful and poignant

and researching them enough to have a general sense of what they are

with no splits or notable chips or other issues that I can see

This finely made

Stark Black Working Decoy with Marvelously Hooked Old Beak Repair Marlis Schratter vase 5 7/8" tallThis might not be the decoy for the decoy connoisseur, but for the lover of highly evocative, very singular sculptural objects, I think it is a most fantastic thing! It is very clear, especially from the top of the head, that this working decoy was shot over quite a bit, and I assume its original beak took the worst of the hits. Someone appears to have valued it enough to carve, paint, and attach a new one, transforming its profile and character