New England, late 19th Century
PROPERTY FROM THE MARVILL COLLECTION
New England, late 19th Century

Mackerel Plow

Details
New England, late 19th Century
Mackerel Plow
varnish and metal on wood
6 1/4 in. high, 1 1/8 in. wide, 2 1/8 in. deep
Provenance
David Wheatcroft Antiques, LLC, Westborough, Massachusetts
Ricco/Maresca Gallery, New York
Literature
David Wheatcroft Antiques, advertisement, Folk Art (Spring 1996), p. 21.
Frank Maresca and Roger Ricco, American Vernacular (New York, 2002), p. 262.

Lot Essay

Mackerel plows are utilitarian objects. Often used by New England fishermen in the nineteenth century, they consist of a short blade designed to slice fish to make them appear plumper and more appealing. Despite this quotidian purpose, this sculpture is a carefully and delicately carved, humorous form. The plow's handle is formed from a sensual, rounded woman; a fisherman would grasp her whilst he worked on an unglamorous task. The smoothness of her surface and softness of her varnish contrast with the harshness of her fundamental purpose.

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