|
|
|
More colorful than other Native American jewelry, antique Zuni pieces
are distinguished by dark red coral and greenish turquoise stones
|
Selection of Native American Art
to be Offered in San Francisco and Online this Fall
10 September, 2002 San
Francisco.... Arts of the West come to the auction
block at Butterfields in November 2002 as the West Coast’s
leading auctioneer, recently acquired by London-based
Bonhams, offers its best-ever selection of Native American
art along with the most impressive collection of Navajo
weavings to ever be presented to their bidders.
The Monday, November 18, 2002 Native
American, Pre-Columbian and Tribal works of Art sale will be
held in the Butterfields salesroom and feature online
real-time bidding. The illustrated auction catalog will be
accessible to view and purchase at www.butterfields.com in
the weeks preceding the auction. Previews of the property
are open in San Francisco November 15th through the 18th.
The auction has the distinction of
including first, second and third phase classic period
chief’s blankets. One highlight is a Ute style first phase
blanket which, according to Department Director Jim Haas,
“defines the essence of Navajo weavings, as one of the
rarest and most desirable examples of the original Navajo
aesthetic.”
Estimated at $150,000 to $200,000 this
blanket has a deceptively simple design of broad stripes in
dark brown, indigo blue and white. Many of these blankets
were created for personal use within the tribe, as well as
for trade to others. The Ute, to the north, found them
particularly attractive, and their predilection for these
luxury garments led to their eventual description as “Ute
style” blankets despite their Navajo origins.
Serapes, children’s blankets, a
woman’s manta, early pictorial rugs, room-sized carpets,
fine regional rugs and excellent examples of Germantown
weavings will be offered in November. Germantown examples
are highly sought-after by collectors, these fine pieces
incorporating a broader range of colors and generally a more
exuberant design than Native American weavings prior to the
1880’s. Many of the Navajo textiles on offer have been
deaccessioned from the Denver Art Museum, to be sold to fund
future acquisitions.
Among the often-popular baskets to be
offered are a good selection of California and Southwestern
varieties, such as a Mission rattlesnake bowl, Panamint
pictorials and Yokut bottleneck and cooking baskets in the
$1,500 to $15,000 range as well as several highly prized
examples such as a “degikup” by famous Washo basket
maker Tootsie Dick Sam. A “bug basket” by Chemehuevi
Mary Snyder is expected to attract bidder interest, it could
bring as much as $20,000 to $40,000.
A collection of more than 20 Apache
baskets will be featured, these examples collected between
1898 and 1902. These fine representations by experienced
hands have been exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution,
San Francisco’s DeYoung Museum, the Oakland Museum and at
the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History. The property,
from the collection of Jennie Fletcher, is accompanied by
vintage photos and other documentation which should intrigue
collectors and dealers alike. A “buzz” within the
collector community was created at the Butterfields booth
during the recent Whitehawk collector’s show at Indian
Market Week in Santa Fe for one of the most interesting of
the Apache baskets, an olla depicting the weaver’s life in
a riot of positive and negative figural images.
From the Northwest Coast come two
Chilkat blankets and several argillite pipes. An 18-inch
argillite totem pole by Charles Edenshaw is to be offered.
Edenshaw, noted as one of the foremost traditional Northwest
native artists of the late 19th century, also created a
wonderful painted basketry hat which is expected to bring
$20,000 to $30,000. A first half 19th century frontlet -- a
wooden ceremonial headdress featuring carved figures in
relief -- is to be offered at $30,000 to $40,000 while an
excellent raven’s rattle, as well as a 19th century bird
clan headdress and a Nootka wolf mask will be offered. A
fine collection of horn ladles, shamanic implements and
button blankets are also within the sale.
Beadwork on the Butterfields’ block
will include Plains examples such as a Crow rifle case and
model cradle, a Cheyenne bow case and quiver, a Plateau
pony-beaded bandoleer, a superb Blackfoot blanket strip and
two sets of Apache saddlebags. From further East comes an
extremely fine Red River Metis beaded pouch in beautiful
condition and dating to the first half of the 19th century.
One of several rarities to be offered
is a unique beaded valise depicting Admiral George Dewey.
Dewey, a war hero who served during the Civil War and later
lead a fleet of ships in the Spanish American War, was
promoted by Congress to Rear Admiral prior to publishing his
autobiography around 1913.
His beaded portrait was likely created
by Edith Claymore, one of a small group of skilled Sioux
artists working along the Cheyenne River during the turn of
the 19th century. The estimate for this interesting and
historic work will be $15,000 to $20,000.
A large and extraordinary Apache
painted hide features depictions of metaphysical figures
with varied symbolic elements and should sell for $15,000 to
$25,000. Also expected to attract bidder attention is a rare
example of a Cheyenne quilled robe decorated for use as an
interior tipi liner. A Yakima beaded tail dress, a Cheyenne
beaded cradle and a number of ingeniously artistic pipes and
bowls will be offered.
Butterfields Native American,
Pre-Columbian and Tribal works of Art sales have established
a reputation for quality and strong prices realized in
multiple collecting areas and the November offering
includes: Pre-Columbian pottery; stone sculptures and gold
jewelry; a nice collection of 19th century Aymara textiles;
Spanish Colonial devotional items and paintings; and
African, Oceanic and other tribal art.
Specialist Contacts:
Jim Haas, (415) 503-3294 Email: jhaas@butterfields.com
|
Gettysburg, Then & Now: