| Press Contact: | Douglas Deihl, Director | Catherine Riedel, Director |
| American Indian & Ethnographic Art | Marketing & Public Relations | |
| Skinner, Inc | Skinner, Inc | |
|
978-779-6241 ext. 254 |
978-779-6241 x231 |
SKINNER TO AUCTION AMERICAN INDIAN AND ETHNOGRAPHIC MAY 20TH IN BOSTON
Featuring the Collections of Charles Edward Mendenhall and Hugh M. Jones III
BOSTON, Mass. -May 12, 2004 – www.skinnerinc.com - Skinner, one of the nation’s leading auction houses, will host an auction of American Indian and Ethnographic Art in Boston on May 20th at 10 a.m. Comprising more than 600 lots, the sale offers an exceptional group of baskets, in addition to unusually fine selections in weavings, beadwork, and pottery. “It’s perhaps the best auction we’ve ever had,” notes department director Douglas Deihl.
Collections
Collections in the auction include items descended in the family of Charles Edward Mendenhall and Hugh M. Jones III, as well as objects deaccessioned from Wesleyan University. Charles Edward Mendenhall (1849-1937) was born into a Quaker family in Guilford County, North Carolina. His later education in Philadelphia led him to join a group of Mennonite and Quaker social missionaries working at the Indian school in Carlysle, Pennsylvania, and in 1878, he left to work as a medical assistant and teacher on reservations in Kansas. His travel and work for the next 19 years led him to the territories of Utah, Idaho, California, the Northwest, and the Great Lakes. Many objects were sent home, and descended in the family to his son Edward Simpson Mendenhall, who also collected items at a later date.
Hugh M. Jones III’s grandfather, George Marshall Jones, a prosperous owner of major industrial casting companies, married Mary Viola MacKean in 1874. They lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, from the late 1800s to 1920. Mary took two months each summer to travel to the Southwest by horse or train, and over the years acquired a large collection of Indian baskets, pottery, etc., which was later installed at Rose Hall. The collection has been passed down in the family since her death in 1920. Many items retain the original hand-stamped brass identification tags from the late 1800s/early 1900s. Skinner is offering a substantial part of the original collection.
Basketry
This auction offers more than 180 lots of baskets, with examples that will appeal to collectors at all levels. “These are not to be missed,” says Deihl, “and there are absolutely great pictorial baskets.” Highlighting the selection is a large Apache coiled basketry olla from the turn of the 20th century, decorated in an overall diagonal grid pattern, with a band of human forms, quadrupeds, and birds at the shoulder (lot 497, $10/15,000). Other notable examples include a Havasupai pictorial coiled basketry bowl from the Wesleyan University Collection (lot 458, $6/8,000), a Yokuts pictorial coiled basketry jar, and another California coiled pictorial basketry bowl (lots 459 and 460 respectively, $5/7,000 each). Several remarkable Pomo coiled basketry bowls also will be offered, including lots 440-443 (from the Hugh M. Jones III Collection, estimates from $2/5,000), as well as lot 444, a polychrome coiled gift basket ($4/6,000), and a late 19th century Nootka polychrome twined basketry hat with a pattern in red, blue, green, and black pigments (lot 567, $3/4,000).
Silver and Jewelry
Selections in silver will include a rare Spanish Colonial-style oversized pair of William Spratling solid silver spurs (lot 264, $10/15,000). The strong showing of Navajo silverwork is highlighted by three late 19th century First Phase concha belts (lots 303-305), including one from the Hugh M. Jones III Collection with seven diamond slot oval conchas with classic scalloped, stamped, and perforated edgework, its original round buckle with similar decoration, and original commercial leather backing (lot 305, $8/10,000). Also featured is a large group of early bracelets, some with turquoise settings. “It’s the best group of Navajo jewelry we have offered in many years,” says Deihl.
Weavings
From the Northwest Coast, highlights include three rare Chilkat blankets. Leading the selection is lot 239, a 19th century Classic Northwest Coast dance blanket ($15/20,000), the second is a late 19th century example collected by Mr. Albert Gale (lot 237, $8/12,000), and the third is a 19th century Classic work (lot 238, $3/4,000).
The substantial group of Navajo weavings includes late Classic examples, Germantown style and pictorial weavings. Predominant is a Navajo “Moki”-style weaving from the last quarter of the 19th century, in Germantown wool woven in a variant of the “Third Phase” Chief’s pattern. This piece was owned by Charles Sanger Mellen, President of the Hartford-New Haven Railroad, in the early 20th century (lot 615, $15/20,000). Other examples include a Late Classic Mexican Saltillo weaving, c. 1860s-70s (lot 607, $8/12,000), a Navajo Germantown weaving from the last quarter of the 19th century (lot 611, $8/12,000), and an early 20th century Navajo pictorial weaving depicting Yei figures, lizards, fish, feathers, square faced “lightning” corner devices, and a central avian figure (lot 594, $6/8,000). A 19th century Navajo late Classic "Moki" blanket (lot 618, $4/6,000) also will be offered.
Plains Artifacts
A significant group of cradles and miniature cradles also graces the sale, many of which are the property of a Western museum. Highlights include a large Ute wood and beaded hide cradle with a suspended doll (lot 109, $10/15,000), a large Plateau wood and hide beaded cradle (lot 111, $5/7,000), and a Kiowa beaded cloth and wood model cradle, with “(Geronimo’s granddaughter) made this Lawton OKLA” written on the back (lot 110, $3,5/4,500). From the Western museum collection, the sale offers a Plateau beaded hide and wood model cradle (lot 103, $2/2,500), a Crow beaded hide toy cradle (lot 101, $1,5/2,000), a Southern Plains beaded cloth, hide, and wood miniature cradle (lot 102, $1/1,500), and a Southern Plains beaded hide, cloth, and wood miniature cradle (lot 99, $1/1,500).
Other Plains offerings include two fine Lakota beaded and quilled hide pipe bags, the first a central Plains example (lot 77, $3/4,000), and the second a Northern Plains piece (lot 78, $3/4,000), as well as a Blackfeet beaded hide pipe bag from the collection of a Western museum (lot 83, $1/1,400). Highlights also feature three beaded hide knife cases, one of Blackfeet origin (lot 91, $5/7,000), another of Yankton Sioux origin (lot 88, $4/6,000), and the last a Cheyenne work (lot 85, $3/4,000).
Pottery
The auction offers some fine examples of pottery. Of particular interest are a four-color Acoma bird jar from the Hugh M. Jones III Collection (lot 383, $10/15,000), a late 19th century San Ildefonso olla (lot 378, $6/8,000), a San Ildefonso olla from the 1920s, possibly made by Filipita Garcia (lot 379, $6/8,000), and another San Ildefonso olla, dating to the turn of the 20th century, to be sold accompanied by a letter from the studio of Popovi Da, February 7, 1963, expressing an interest in buying this pot (lot 380, $5/7,000). Also featured is a large San Ildefonso black-on-black pottery vessel with classic high-shouldered form, and with the serpent "Avanyu" pattern, signed "Marie San Ildefonso, N.M." This signature indicates this was one of the earliest pieces by the potter (lot 368, $15/20,000). Other examples include a large Acoma painted pottery olla, c. 1934, signed "M. Aragon Acoma, New Mex.," and marked in pencil on the orange underbody, "Prize bowl, Acoma Indian Pottery Making, 1934" (lot 372, $5/7,000). Further, the auction boasts no fewer than four black pottery pieces signed "Marie-Popovi," including two from the collection of Wesleyan University (lots 361 and 364, $1,5/2,000 and $4/600 respectively).
Additional Highlights
Collectors will be interested in a rare 16th century Northeast carved stone pipe with a stylized male head projecting from the front of the bowl (lot 223, $8/12,000), and a mid-19th century Northeast (Micmac) carved stone pipe bowl (lot 221, $3/4,000). Additionally, the auction features a small but interesting group of Katsina dolls, including a Zuni polychrome carved wood example from the first quarter of the 20th century (lot 327, $6/800), a Hopi polychrome carved wood cow Katsina from the first half of the 20th century with highly detailed clothing and case mask (lot 330, $5/700), and a Malo, Hopi polychrome carved wood example from the first half of the 20th century (lot 333, $5/700). An extensive selection of African and tribal objects also will be offered, highlighted by a large offering of South Pacific and Polynesian artifacts, including a Maori jade tiki (lot 59, $4/600).
Catalogue and Preview Information
Previews for the auction will be 12 to 5 p.m. Thursday, May 20th, 12 to 7 p.m. Friday, May 21st, and 8 to 9 a.m. Saturday, May 22nd. Illustrated catalog #2237 is available by mail for $29 ($35 for foreign requests) from the subscription department at 978-779-6241 x240. It is also available at the gallery for $26. Prices realized will be available at www.skinnerinc.com during and after the sale. For more information, call 978-779-6241, or visit www.skinnerinc.com. Skinner's site also allows users to view all lots in the auctions, leave bids, and order catalogues online.
Note to Editors: Photos available upon request. Contact Catherine Riedel at 978-779-6241 x 231.
About Skinner:With galleries in Boston and Bolton, Mass., Skinner is a full-service auctioneer and appraiser of antiques and fine art. Regularly seen on the PBS series, Antiques Roadshow, Skinner is one of the nation’s leading auction houses. Skinner conducts auctions year-round and has received world-record prices for many pieces sold at auction. Departments include American Furniture & Decorative Arts, Paintings & Prints, English & Continental Furniture & Decorations, Fine Ceramics, Jewelry, Couture, 20th Century Furniture & Decorative Arts, Fine Musical Instruments, Asian Art, Fine Judaica, Toys, Dolls & Collectibles, Science & Technology, Oriental Rugs & Carpets, American Indian & Ethnographica, and Discovery. For more information on upcoming auctions, visit Skinner’s web site www.skinnerinc.com.