Pike Decoy

Billy Martin, Pike Decoy, 20th century, carved, incised, painted, pyroengraved, and varnished wood; copper sheet; non-ferrous eye hook; and lead weight, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Alastair B. Martin, 1999.67.3
Billy Martin, Pike Decoy, 20th century, carved, incised, painted, pyroengraved, and varnished wood; copper sheet; non-ferrous eye hook; and lead weight, 1 1⁄2 x 8 1⁄8 x 2 3⁄4 in. (3.8 x 20.5 x 7.0 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Alastair B. Martin, 1999.67.3

Artwork Details

Title
Pike Decoy
Artist
Attributed to Billy Martin
Date
20th century
Location
Dimensions
1 1⁄2 x 8 1⁄8 x 2 3⁄4 in. (3.8 x 20.5 x 7.0 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Alastair B. Martin
Mediums
Mediums Description
carved, incised, painted, pyroengraved, and varnished wood; copper sheet; non-ferrous eye hook; and lead weight
Classifications
Subjects
  • Animal — fish
Object Number
1999.67.3
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1999.67.3

Artwork Description

Carved fish decoys are one of the earliest forms of American folk art. Hunters around the Bering Sea first used small bone or ivory decoys for ice fishing around 1000 AD. They believed that the decoys embodied the innua, or inner spirit of the fish. The practice spread to upstate New York and the Great Lakes, where it became a tourist industry with many communities growing around prime fishing areas. Ice fishing was banned in 1905, however, because the popularity of the sport had brought about a serious decline in large game fish. During the Depression, many hunters and fishermen turned again to fish spearing for survival. The decoys from this period are simpler, focusing on realistic shapes, colors, and movement rather than fanciful decoration (Steven Michaan, American Fish Decoys, 2003).

Works by this artist (1 item)

Billy Martin, Pike Decoy, 20th century, carved, incised, painted, pyroengraved, and varnished wood; copper sheet; non-ferrous eye hook; and lead weight, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Alastair B. Martin, 1999.67.3
Pike Decoy
Artist
Attributed to Billy Martin
Date20th century
carved, incised, painted, pyroengraved, and varnished wood; copper sheet; non-ferrous eye hook; and lead weight
On view

More Artworks from the Collection

Browse All Artworks
John Cross, Fish Decoy, 20th century, carved and painted wood, painted copper sheet, ferrous eye hook, lead weight, and glass eyes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Alastair B. Martin, 1999.67.10
Fish Decoy
Artist
Date20th century
carved and painted wood, painted copper sheet, ferrous eye hook, lead weight, and glass eyes
On view
Unidentified (American), Fish Decoy, ca. 1930s, carved, painted, and stenciled wood; painted copper sheet; painted ferrous tack eyes; and lead weights, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Alastair B. Martin, 1999.67.6
Fish Decoy
Artist
Unidentified (American)
Dateca. 1930s
carved, painted, and stenciled wood; painted copper sheet; painted ferrous tack eyes; and lead weights
On view
Unidentified, Merganser Drake Decoy, 20th century, carved and painted wood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson, 1986.65.50
Merganser Drake Decoy
Artist
Unidentified
Date20th century
carved and painted wood
On view
Andrew Trombley, Bass Decoy, ca. 1940s, carved and painted wood, painted copper sheet, ferrous eye hook, lead weight, and glass eyes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Alastair B. Martin, 1999.67.20
Bass Decoy
Artist
Dateca. 1940s
carved and painted wood, painted copper sheet, ferrous eye hook, lead weight, and glass eyes
On view